For some reason, it seems so many people today can’t tolerate those who don’t see the world exactly as they do. It’s a dangerous trend and the lower road.

I’ve been privileged to have people in my life, many in fact, whom I genuinely love and respect (not merely tolerate) with all manner of political belief and it has made me a better person. I’m thinking of you, Natalie Simpson. We disagree on most all political matters. I’ve been appalled – seriously appalled – by some of her Facebook posts, as I’m sure she has been by some of my left-leaning hippie bullshit. But we genuinely respect each other. She’s a strong, smart and engaged woman who speaks her mind, has raised a beautiful family, and has the strength of character needed to continue to befriend a woman like me who, to her, must seem a pinko nutjob.

No one side has the market cornered on truth and none of us is as smart as we think we are with our perfectly thought out arguments and heir of superiority. The signs of real intelligence will always be humility and the ability to hold and/or consider opposing points of views while retaining the ability to go on with your life (so says F. Scott Fitzgerald).

My point is… the bickering is exhausting. And, the divisiveness and seeming disdain people have towards those with opposing views seems far more harmful in the long run than anything one man or woman could do during four years in office. So to make America great again, maybe take the high road – challenge yourself to make a friend who sees the world differently than you, and in an authentic way learn to love and respect them. And certainly, keep fighting for your beliefs and our democracy by being an engaged citizen. Just do it with less spite and a little more introspection, please.

“The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.”

– Nietzsche