“Why Do Political Supporters Make More Foes Than Aspirants Make Friends?” -By Isaac Asabor

It is not an exaggeration to say that friendships can enrich one’s life in many ways, particularly as having good friends is capable of giving anyone the opportunity to learn about himself or herself, and challenge such a person to be better. A friend encourages a person to keep going when times get tough and joins such a person in celebration of success.  In fact, to truly come to grip with the foregoing view, it is expedient to ponder over an inspiring quote credited to George Santayana which says,  “Do not have evil-doers for friends, do not have low people for friends: have virtuous people for friends, have for friends the best of men.”

In fact, friends do a lot more than give one a shoulder to cry on as they also have a positive impact on their friends’ health. Some research even says friendships are just as important to a person as eating right and exercising.

For instance, the Mayo Clinic (a nonprofit American academic medical center focused on integrated health care, education, and research), in an article written by one of its staff with the headline, “Friendships: Enrich your life and improve your health” insightfully explained how people can discover the connection between health and friendship, and how to promote and maintain healthy friendships.

The write-up pontificated that “Friendships can have a major impact on a person’s health and well-being, but it’s not always easy to develop or maintain friendships”, and explained that it is expedient for people to understand the importance of social connection in their lives and what they can do to develop and nurture lasting friendships.

While throwing insight into what the benefits of friendships are, the author of the somewhat motivational article advised that “Good friends are good for your health. Friends can help you celebrate good times and provide support during bad times.

He explained that friends prevent isolation and loneliness and give you a chance to offer needed companionship, too. He added, “Friends can also increase your sense of belonging and purpose, boost your happiness and reduce your stress, improve your self-confidence and self-worth, help you cope with traumas, such as divorce, serious illness, job loss or the death of a loved one, encourage you to change or avoid unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as excessive drinking or lack of exercise.

The unknown author, as the article has no byline, said “Friends also play a significant role in promoting your overall health. Adults with strong social connections have a reduced risk of many significant health problems, including depression, high blood pressure, and an unhealthy body mass index (BMI). In fact, studies have found that older adults who have meaningful relationships and social support are likely to live longer than their peers with fewer connections.”

In as much as he exhaustively wrote about some ways to meet new friends, he in the article touched on how social media affect friendships and said joining a chat group or online community might help people to make or maintain connections and relieve loneliness.

He however said research suggests that the use of social networking sites does not necessarily translate to a larger offline network or closer offline relationships with network members, and advised that Netizens should remember to exercise caution when sharing personal information or arranging an activity with someone they have only met online.

Taking his advice on how to nurture friendships in this context, it is expedient to opine that social media platforms have remained the collective pedestal on which supporters of political aspirants mostly break relationships with friends merely for disagreeing with their political views.

Social media platforms have remained the collective pedestal on which Netizens are ignorant of the fact that developing and maintaining healthy friendships involves give-and-take. The virtual platforms have become the space where political supporters suddenly become unwitting to understand Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s saying that“You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts.”

In a similar vein, in as much as one is likely to have a controversial conversation with someone when on a social media platform, particularly as he or she would say something that just strikes a nerve, it is wise to ignore such a person. Whether the rudeness comes from your closest friend, sibling, boss, or perfect stranger, chances are that you felt rattled by what happened, but the best way to remain friends with such a person is to ignore him or her, and literarily change the gear of the relationship to the level you may feel comfortable with.

The reason for the foregoing advice cannot be farfetched as not a few Netizens have over the years been breaking friendships that would have been beneficial to them in the course of supporting politicians that they are likely not to gain anything from; even in the world to come. Most Netizens have forgotten that politicians are the best demonstrators of William Clay’s saying that “This is quite a game, politics. There are no permanent enemies, and no permanent friends, only permanent interests.”

For instance, a section of the media was agog on Monday, November 14, 2022, with picture newsshowing the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his counterpart in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, sitting closely in two reddish armchairs where they seemed to be in deep conversation at the private wing of the Nnamdi Azikwe airport. According to APC official, Dada Olusegun, Tinubu was on his way to Jos ahead of the APC presidential campaign flag-off. As well known, both men are two of the frontline candidates in the presidential elections scheduled for February 2023.

In a similar vein, the former Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole on Tuesday night arrived Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital on the invitation of Governor NyesomWike to commission a flyover project.

Oshiomhole, a former national chairman of the APC was received by Wike; his deputy, Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, and other Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders in the state where Wike apologized to him over the bickering they had during the last gubernatorial elections through which Governor Godwin Obaseki in 2020.

Against the backdrop of the foregoing instances which aptly demonstrate the fact, “There are no permanent enemies, and no permanent friends, only permanent interests”one may not be wrong to guesstimate that Peter Obi, the presidential flagbearer of the Labour Party (LP) and Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State will soon sit down and have lunch together, Governor Obaseki of Edo State will one day share the same bottle of beer with Oshiomhole even as the presidential aspirant of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar will one day have dinner together with former President Olusegun Obasanjo the same way it is been conjecture that Tinubu and Osinbajo will soon become best of political allies as they were wont to.

At this juncture, it is germane to say that having for the umpteenth time witnessed how politicians easily become friends after political bickering, it becomes pragmatic to ask, “Why do political supporters, most of whom do not know the aspirants one-on-one, make more foes than political aspirants make friends?”