"It is better to be loved for who you are, rather than who people think you are."

In all probability; I've just lost a rather close internet friend from a disagreement in political beliefs. Somehow I feel it would be better off, at least for the friend. It's my fault because I could not let a situation go, and that's fine. People are generally more comfortable talking to and being surrounded by people with the same belief systems as themselves.

That being said... I need to burn some bridges. Not only with this particular friend, but also with some so-called "friends" in the real world. One who hurt me severely a few years back, refused to have anything to do with me, and suddenly has popped up again expecting me to be grateful for the contact. Another is a group who has consistently been scornful, disrespectful, and downright abusive to myself and a close comrade of mine while simultaneously purporting to be our closest and truest friends.

I do not forgive easily, if at all. I've gotten too many burnt fingers in the past and I am reluctant to put myself out there again. True, getting hurt is inevitable; that doesn't mean one has to actively seek out the pain.