Yesterday, my friend and political sparring partner, Charlie Kirk, was shot and killed at Utah Valley University.

He left us at the young age of 31 years old.

Like you, I am in total shock and utterly heartbroken right now.

I first met Charlie in 2017 at a Horowitz Freedom Center event in Palm Beach.

At the time, we were on opposite sides of the political aisle and spent our early conversations trying to figure each other out.

Could we actually trust someone on the other side of the political aisle?

We both put our reservations aside, which led to a decade of respectful, powerful and necessary conversations — on and off camera.

What started as spirited disagreements on politics, culture, religion and activism turned into a meaningful friendship and a turning point, pardon the pun, in my career.

Together, we went on to do dozens of college campus events where we both relished in discussing our differences — not only with each other, but with the huge crowds of college students as well.

Bomb threats were often called in, fire alarms often pulled, in an effort to end our talks before they even began.

Students (usually masked) would say unimaginably horrible things to us, throw things at us, and try to block the doors so other people wouldn’t be able to hear us speak.

Charlie always stood tall, undeterred and committed to engaging with people honestly and directly.

He even instituted a rule I’ve used in all of my public events since then: If you disagree with us you get to speak first during the Question and Answer segment.

Charlie was a good man.

A principled man.

He stood up for what he believed in and never quit, no matter how hard the fight.

Fighting for what he believed in was his job, but also his hobby.

From spending countless days and nights in swing counties, to debating on college campuses, to rallying the youth toward more moral and responsible values, his impact was both tireless and undeniable.

It’s on us now to continue what Charlie started — to carry forward the mission he dedicated his life to: bringing more freedom and prosperity to this country and helping all of us return to a more virtuous and flourishing nation.

The question we all must ask ourselves is this: What kind of country do we want to live in?

A country where we can debate our differences with respect, conviction and love — or a country that drifts further from truth and replaces it with violence?

I know which one Charlie was fighting for.

As George Orwell so wisely warned, “The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.”

Charlie leaves behind a legacy of love for country, courage, conviction and an unwavering commitment to truth.

He also leaves behind his beloved wife, children, and a movement that will forever feel his absence.

I will miss you my friend, and I look forward to debating whatever little we still disagreed on when we meet on the other side.

Dave Rubin is a political commentator and host of “The Dave Rubin Report.”