Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated on Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University.

He was a role model for many young individuals, and despite having views that some did not align with, his unwavering passion for what he believed in was inspiring.

We have entered an era, however, where expressing this passion puts your life at risk, and that reality is horrifying.

Yet, in the Instagram comment section of The Conservateur’s “Rest in Peace Charlie” post, for example, there are copious amounts of celebratory remarks in regard to Kirk’s death.

These comments are just a glimpse into the flood of digital vitriol that followed Kirk’s tragic death.

The same people who champion nonviolence and equal treatment for all often abandon this sentiment the moment they are faced with someone they detest politically.

As a society, we desperately need to relearn how to ‘agree to disagree.’

Five percent of Republicans say they would not be friends with someone of the opposing party, compared to 37% of Democrats, according to a 2021 Axios poll, and tensions have only increased with time.

This statistic is startling, and it highlights one of our country’s biggest problems: not that we can’t get along, but that we refuse to even try to understand perspectives beyond our own.

It’s this same intolerance that fuels violence — the same mindset that led to Kirk’s killing. This way of thinking is not only polarizing, but dangerous as well.

Though his death is devastating, Kirk is far from the only victim of the recent uptick in political violence.

An article released earlier this year by PBS recounts recent instances of politically motivated attacks. Examples include last year’s two assassination attempts on President Donald Trump, the latest trend of setting Tesla Cybertrucks alight, as well as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s house being broken into and set on fire.

More and more innocent lives will be lost in the name of politics if we continue to divide ourselves by ideology. Instead we should be unifying our people with the understanding that we can still get along even if we don’t agree on everything.

Kirk thrived on debate, always trenchant and unapologetic in his viewpoints. But with this unrelenting exterior also came compassion and patience. This good-natured spirit of debate, not violence, is what we need to rediscover to unite again as a nation.

Sept. 12 2025 @ 8:57 p.m. — a correction has been made to this story, this is the most current version.