Talk show host Ellen Degeneres has recently come under fire from the public after she defended her controversial friendship with former President of the United States, George W. Bush.

She was spotted sitting next to and laughing with Bush at an NFL game. The public took issue with this, especially considering his past anti-gay policies he put in place while in office. DeGeneres, however, is an LGBTQ+ activist, and she was attacked for her friendship with Bush because of their differing opinions.

DeGeneres fired back at her critics on her talk show and said, “When I say, ‘Be kind to one another,’ I don’t mean only the people that think the same way I do. I mean be kind to everyone.”

Although many were still upset after she released this statement, DeGeneres taught an important lesson of killing others with kindness, even those who don’t share the same viewpoints as you.

Having our own beliefs is important, but way too often are the lines blurred between political opinions and relationships. It reaches the point where some refuse to be respectful to others who have differing opinions.
Feeling strongly about your opinions isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, when it’s hitting the point where you can’t be civil with someone just because they are a Republican and you are a Democrat, or vice versa, there’s a problem.

If everyone felt this way about people with opposing opinions, think of the amount of people in your life you would lose, whether it’s friends, neighbors, or even family.

Ellen DeGeneres showed us all an important point of not letting our opinions divide us, and instead showing kindness towards everyone to bring us together. Regardless of your stance on the DeGeneres and Bush situation, she teaches us that above all, political opinions should have nothing to do with kindness.