My friends and acquaintances span over a very broad and vast set of beliefs.

Some of them like pineapple on pizza (those ones tend to stay acquaintances) and the others know that pineapples don’t belong on pizza because the only fruit that belongs on pizza is a tomato.

I love being able to have friends I can debate with and talk about things we don’t necessarily agree on because I think it really increases your knowledge on topics. By talking to people who don’t agree with every little thing you believe, you can get to understand a new viewpoint and see where others are coming from on a wide variety of topics.

You don’t have to change your mind on anything, but you can look through another person’s eyes and see life from a different perspective.

Various environments and life experiences can cause people to believe in some things very strongly or disagree very strongly, maybe they won’t even have an opinion on some topics that you couldn’t even imagine not having some sort of view on.

Someone disagreeing with you doesn’t make them wrong, and it doesn’t make you right. It just means that different circumstances led the two of you down different paths.

I think it is extremely important to keep that in mind when meeting new people. When you narrow your friends down to just the ones who agree with you, you’re screwing yourself over. You don’t get the same balance that you would if you reached out and made connections with someone of the other side of things.

It can be hard at times, as most friendships are, but at the end of the day it’s a new friend who you can always bounce opinions off of and learn from. At the very least, you can see what other people are thinking and realize why you see things from the perspective you do. Especially in college it can be so beneficial to make friends that don’t agree with you because all throughout life you are going to have to deal with people who don’t agree with you.

Making friends who you can converse and debate with can help for later on in your career with a disagreeable boss or colleague. You’ll learn how to calmly address a situation and not fly off the handle, express views clearly and even just being able to understand that people don’t always agree with you can make a tremendous change in your conversational skills. Don’t stay in your own bubble where everyone agrees with you. Venture off. Make those friends you can butt heads with on occasion. Don’t blow your top, just listen. If you get frustrated just take a deep breath and wait until they’ve finished with their point to make yours. Simple respect and etiquette can go a long way when talking with people. Wait your turn, don’t raise your voice and make your points without disrespecting them.

So, better yourself by not agreeing with your friends. It can really help in the long run. Corryn Brock is a freshman journalism major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or at cebrock@eiu.edu.