Why It’s Ok To Lose Friends Over The Election

I don’t think I have wasted as much emotional energy as I have on this debacle of an election campaign.

Twelve years ago I made the promise to myself to stop listening to the news on anything other than a cursory basis.

This came after I finally accepted how easily it was sucking me in and kicking the shit out of my peace of mind.

In recent weeks that commitment has evaporated faster than an e-mail off a server as once again I’ve disappeared into the abyss that is 24-hour news coverage

What started off as being a fun Tom Sharpe novel taking place in some far off Banana Republic has turned into a Greek tragedy being played out in our own back yard, not by actors, but by people pretending they are fit to govern us.

Guess Who I Want To Win

I am going to make no bones about the fact that I am terrified Trump will win.

I am a long way from being thrilled by the thought of an inherently dishonest Clinton being President, but Trump takes lying, greed, egotism, deceit and silly hair-do’s to a whole new level.

I’d wager my left testicle that Clinton knows when she is lying, but Trump has no fucking clue. He is the living embodiment of self-justification and denial.

He has the emotional intelligence of an amoeba with learning difficulties and his ability to project is at such a high level that if it were an Olympic event he’d be dripping in so many gold medals you wouldn’t even notice his orange face.

Do you really think it was ‘locker room talk’ and that his constant attacks on Bill Clinton are anything more than deflections because he sees himself (albeit it unconsciously) in the ex-President?

Well good luck if you do, and watch the press if he wins because I highly doubt there aren’t more revelations to come.

Are you nodding your head in agreement yet?

Or are you seething that I would say such things and are already in your mind composing a vitriolic response for the comments that demands that I fuck off back to England?

Either are fine by me.

They really are.

Millions of online and offline friendships are being tested at the moment because the country has become more polarized than at anytime since the settlers were trying to persuade Native Indians that syphilis was a fair exchange for their land.

Many people think falling out over politics is juvenile, but in many cases they’re wrong.

Hello Core Values

An election like this brings peoples core values to the fore and we really get an insight into what makes each other tick.

So if we don’t like what we see when we get to know somebody intimately, should we really feel compelled to bury our natural inclination to sever ties and move on?

The fact that I have always been so open about my political beliefs both on this blog and through Social Media means most people who think they (and I) suck moved on years ago.

Simply put, our values don’t align and that is a difficult Genie to get back in the bottle once it’s on Twitter and posting insults at 3am in the morning.

Now don’t misunderstand what I’m saying here.

I am absolutely not saying you should unfriend, unfollow or end friendships with anybody who vehemently opposes your core values.

Just that you can if you want to and it’s perfectly understandable.

On the whole it’s better to seek understanding and try to empathize as I have done with one friend who has been battering my Facebook timeline with news clip after news clip from seemingly every ‘Alt Right’ site on the Internet.

But if for you that requires so much mental energy and you don’t simply wish to ignore them until after the election, then by all means go ahead and call it a day.

Align With Your Own Core Values

If you would like to know more about core values and their critical importance in decision making and maintaining happiness levels, then you can get my book Aligning With Your Core Values for half price until the election.

Simply click the above and when you check out enter the coupon code ‘nevertrump’ without the apostrophes.

Abusive comments will be mocked and laughed at mercilessly.