As a child born in 1997, raised in the town of Woodbury, Minnesota, I have lived a fairly controlled, comfortable life thus far. Not only was I comfortable, but it also seemed as if everyone else was too.

Sure, there is always a conflict that occurs and has occurred, but it always seems like people could be stronger together, to rally. This notion of a unified public held for me throughout my youth. Whether it was George W. Bush or Obama, everyone still seemed to care most about their day to day, and not lose sleep over a disagreement or preference when it comes to political parties.

Unfortunately, I was rudely awakened when starting college at the University of Minnesota. My freshman year was the time of the 2016 election, and I had never seen a more polarized event occur. I always thought to myself how crazy it was when I heard left-wing people spit on someone wearing a MAGA hat, or shed literal tears of anger when he won the election. Rather than being open and accepting of conservatives, many of the left-wing people on campus and around the nation bring an energy of hostility and disconnect. This was something I had never seen before.

I have always believed that people are the strongest force in America, it has always been the way we are, and I’m proud to live in a country where we have that much freedom. However, when people started to harm, degrade, and attack the minds of even middle-of-the-road conservatives, I knew there was a bigger problem at hand. People wanted to destroy what was created by Trump. They couldn’t bear the thought of him succeeding, even if that meant benefiting the people who hated him most.

Now, I know the man has his flaws and is far from the most classy/well-spoken president to date, but I don’t vote to have well-liked a public figure. I vote for someone who can put numbers on the board without losing complete moral integrity. For me, I have always been someone who values family, friends, faith, among other core values.

I have always wanted to help people, no matter who they are. So when people who don’t agree with my political stance and immediately chalk me up to be words I won’t even share here, it can become incredibly exhausting and incredibly frustrating. But, after time has gone on, I have found out that people have been more accepting of conservative viewpoints.

I’m not sure if this is because Trump is doing a good job, or if the Democratic Party is collapsing harder than the Western Roman Empire. Nonetheless, it’s refreshing to see the willing adoption of conservative ideas around the country.

The main argument I’m trying to make is that many innocent Trump voters out there have rock-solid core values and intentions. Ones that would give them incentive to help even the furthest people from them when speaking on commonalities. However, if those people are hurt, shunned, or feel like they’re hated by those who have a different view, progress will be halted faster than traffic at five o’clock p.m. at the junction of 35W and 94.

I cannot stand the polarized environment our country is facing, and I wouldn’t even call Trump a right-wing extremist–not even close. But the more and more Democrats shift to the left, the further we become from being able to talk about and address issues efficiently and respectfully, which can be incredibly detrimental to society as we know it.

The more and more groups like Antifa act upon their beliefs and impulses, the closer and closer we get to living in a dystopian society as we know it.

So, all I’m asking is that you choose and choose wisely who you want to affiliate with.

You’re a liberal? I’d be happy to sit down and have coffee or a beer, as I’m sure many of my beliefs don’t vary extremely and I’d love to enjoy a nice cup of joe and some conversation.

But once someone hits that point of the left-most side of the seesaw is where the disconnect truly occurs, and I don’t know if people realize the magnitude of that. In the coming years, I have no idea what to expect, although I do know there have never been higher stakes when talking about the 2020 election. However, there has also never been a clearer choice. #KAG.