I have lived by the saying “you sometimes have to lose a battle to win a war” but in the past that has led me to a path of avoiding any conflicts (except the written ones). I would be afraid to discuss certain topics because I feared others would “hate me” for my positions. I understand now that those that appear “to hate you” because of a reasonable position are truly hateful people as a whole. I make every effort to be respectful to those that have differing opinions but expect and demand that others do the same as well. Yes there are times you shouldn’t bring up a difficult topic but when your values are challenged it’s time to stand up strong. Yet how do you continue to fight when you feel you’re the last one in the room.
(1) Bring up your point directly and respectfully to others who disagree with you.
(2) Don’t continue an endless debate going know where. If you feel tensions are getting a bit high agree to disagree and move on to a different more peaceful topic.
(3) If the individual(s) brings up the topic when you’re uncomfortable discussing its say “I think we know each others positions on this issue” and bring up a different topic.
The point is to make sure that the battles you might be having with others don’t lead to a war that ends a friendship unless it is truly necessary.