If you know me, you know I am 100% down for a lively debate ... but I'm starting to believe that our political beliefs are ultimately extremely personal. They are an amalgam of socioeconomics, religion, philosophy, education, environment and upbringing. Some of us hang out in the middle and are very confused about the mounting pressure to polarize. Some of us have fully formed ideologies that would take incredible force to change. Most of us are a mix of both.
But, surprise! We can become more open to each other without going anywhere near politics. We can listen and evolve. We can read, travel, think and wonder. We can prove our good character by respecting and caring for all who cross our paths. And we can lovingly and thoughtfully engage with our friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, baristas and bartenders without ever sussing out what side they’re on.
“We are sun and moon, dear friend; we are sea and land. It is not our purpose to become each other; it is to recognize each other, to learn to see the other and honor him for what he is: each the other's opposite and complement.”
Hermann Hesse, Narcissus and Goldmund
