I was chatting with a friend tonight, and he said that it was poetic justice that President Trump got COVID-19, and that he "hoped for the worst". I told him that wishing death on our President - who was duly elected to be this country's leader - makes him a terrible person (as bad as anyone he has ever criticized) and is a big middle finger to all the citizens who exercised their right to vote for the person they thought best represented them.
I haven't heard a peep from him since, and I'm pretty sure the friendship is over. He's always been a decent guy, and it's sad that he's turned into such a nasty person. I've lost so many friends over the past four years.
Its a sad thing to lose friends over what should be a simple disagreement. One of my friends of 5 years stopped talking to me during the Kavanaugh debacle. She said "believe all women" and I asked what if it was me and I was accused of rape. She said it would never happen and I proceeded to point out all the times it has to innocent people. I was naive and a new Pede. I thought I could still have disagreements with drinking buddies and family friends, people who celebrated my childrens' birthdays with me and my wife. I was dead wrong. I miss the friends I've lost and I can't say that remembering the good times gets easier to forget but there is something ive personally found solace in.
I am on the right side of history. I am able to take criticism and refine my worldview. I am able to look at policy and adjust my beliefs, thinking in ways I had been stagnated from before. I can stand on truth, facts and logic and make up my mind, lift my head and speak out unabashedly. I can accept losses in my life and move forward. I am stronger. I am smarter. I am no longer denying reality in exchange for the perception of friendship. I am no longer betraying myself.
Hold your head high Pede. You are on the right side of history and you are part of a family you dont have to lie to for fear of not being accepted. You are winning.