I hate when people feel you should take up their battles.

The other day I was speaking well of somebody I had just met. The girl was very nice to me when I interviewed her, so I mentioned it while looking at the mug shot I took of her.

“Her? She’s such a @*#*!” cried someone from the peanut gallery.

It was a friend of mine who, after making the remark, proceeded to ramble on about how much she hated this person I interviewed. Apparently, the interviewee in question had asked my friend if she was a lesbian. Mindless ramblings interrupted all counterpoints I attempted to make. My friend’s case was weak and left me with little reason to make me dislike the person.

Most of the things my friend told me I found rather funny.

Since I’ve been in college, this is the first time I can remember witnessing such pettiness; I remember that more as a part of high school.

There was another time when the son of a friend of my family died. His house exploded when a Taser missed him and set off a spark. His house had a gas leak. The press publicized the heroism of the police and their attempts to save him. This angered me and I stated so in a very strong manner.

An acquaintance of mine overheard me and informed me my point of view was incorrect. She said I should trust that the police made the right decision and anyone who holds a job that risks their life is “in-the-right.” Her father was a firefighter.

Both sides of the issue were very personal and nothing was accomplished. Both of us tried to make null the other’s point of view without even attempting to listen.

The point is, just because somebody has an opposing view doesn’t mean she’s wrong and you’re correct – or vise-versa. It just means people hold different values.

Don’t try to make other people fight your battles. People need to make their own decisions.