Dr Karin Love & Life

I’ve been thinking a lot about friendships in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Especially because, as we’ve talked about before on the program, many friendships have become strained in these highly charged times. So when you admire a prominent figure who takes a stand politically, you can be certain friends who vote in the other direction will not only NOT admire him, they may actually despise him. And, should he be murdered, they’ll shed no tears. They might, in fact, be secretly glad he’s dead. Where does that leave the friendship?We typically lean on friends during our pain and sadness. We look to them for empathy—even if they aren’t suffering the same loss.True friends imagine how we’re feeling; they put themselves in our shoes and grieve with us. As Paul instructed, they “carry our burdens.”But maybe they can’t—or, won’t—when the loss involves someone or something they abhor. Then what? What happens to the friendship?I’m dealing with this right now and in today’s episode, Elliott helps me proces