They are two different people. One is darker-skinned, with curly hair and a quiet demeanor. The other is lively and talkative, wears glasses and has a crew cut.

Their room speaks of their differences. Peace posters calling for “Justice, not violence” and a to-do list including “save the world” line one wall and Army posters adorn the other.

Jason Arnold, freshman in pre-architecture, and Ramsey Tesdell, sophomore in English, live together in Linden Hall. The two men sit talking about how although they are opposites, they have learned to live together. They laugh and give each other a hard time, remaining good friends even though they have two different views of the war in Iraq.

“He’s got all his posters up here, you know — ‘Hate is not easy, Love takes courage.’ Oh, I got my Army values here,” Arnold says, listing more conflicting posters. “You know whatever. We have all this contrasting stuff. People walk in the room and wonder how we get along at all.”

They were neighbors last year, and had no one else to live with, so they decided to live together. “We thought it would work well,” Arnold says.

Arnold has been in the Reserves for almost three years and has a military family history. He has trained all over the world. His unit recently got called up and Arnold volunteered to go, but his unit declined.

“I was disappointed when they didn’t take me,” Arnold says. “A lot of people were glad I stayed, but I was still kind of upset about it. Of all the people that volunteered in my unit, I didn’t get to go.”

Tesdell began activism because of his father’s influence. His brother, Omar Tesdell, began holding vigils and started Time For Peace after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Tesdell attended vigils during high school and became more involved once he got to Iowa State.

“It scared me for a lot of different reasons, I guess,” he says. “To me it seems like the first time we’ve been attacked on our mainland, and all I could think about was it was going to be a nation marching off to war.”

The two are on very different sides of the war and have two different political spectrums. Yet, as roommates and even friends, the two men get along, joking and interrupting each other as they talk about their relationship.

Tesdell is very much against the war and violence in general. Arnold says he was for the war in the beginning.

“Anymore it seems like we’ve lost the reason, the purpose, the drive,” Arnold says.

When Arnold’s unit was called up, the reality of the war struck the two individuals.

“For me, I was scared, I was really scared for Jason,” Tesdell says. “I didn’t want him to go. I think the whole war is not the right way to go about solving the problem. To have my own roommate over there was tough.”

Arnold says he was excited to go, and neglected to sign up for classes, expecting to leave soon.

“Ever since then, I’ve been playing catch-up,” he says.

Tesdell says he doesn’t quite understand Arnold’s feelings.

“I don’t understand how you were excited to go,” he says.

“Well …” Arnold says with a slight shrug.

“I mean, I kept hearing reports of people dying,” Tesdell says.

“The thing is though, because my unit, we’d be way in the back,” Arnold continues. “The way I think of it, I came from a pretty small high school, I think you did too. Of all the people in there, I just hated the girls that were like, had rich daddies and they give them everything and they thought they were better than everyone. Every time I go somewhere, I just think I’m doing something they can’t.”

Their conversation never erupts into disagreement. Each listens to the other and then offers his opinion.

“I think the way we do it is just talking about it,” Ramsey says.

The relationship has grown into a teaching relationship full of respect. Both say they understand the other side more now.

“It sensitizes me to the other side,” Tesdell says. “I hate saying the other side, but the other thing is …”

Arnold interrupts as he finds some carrots in the refrigerator.

“Thanks roommate,” he says with a laugh.

“No, I understand when people are talking about the other position,” Tesdell says.

The definition of patriotism is different for each of them.

“As far as patriotism, doing something, actually doing, going out and doing something like fighting or defending your home. That seems like patriotism to me, to go out and protect your home, your rights, your values and your freedom for that matter,” Arnold says.

Tesdell more or less agrees.

“Basically the same thing just not through the military service, defending what we hold as extremely valuable,” he says. “I just don’t think fighting a war to Iraq isn’t contributing to that cause at all.”

They both see the other as a patriot. The differences end up as more of a similarity in the end, Tesdell says.

“I think we both agree on the objective, which is justice and peace,” Tesdell says, “but I think we disagree on the means.”