As I close out one year and begin another today, I find myself reflecting on a few things, especially politics. Not the headlines, but more so the relationship we have with one another around politics. How do we “reasonably” engage in it without violating human nature?

At its core, politics is the ongoing conversation about how “WE” (Independents, Republicans, and Democrats) live together in a society.

I’ve been fortunate over the years to meet and learn from so many people—mentors, teachers, friends, and even strangers. When I take stock of the wisdom I’ve received, it’s honestly overwhelming. And the more people I meet, the more convinced I become: we have far more in common than the media or the politicians would have us believe.

The truth is, politics often divides because it’s rooted in ideology, and ideology is shaped by our beliefs, values, and emotions. Too often, it’s not rooted in truth.

Contrary to what many think, Biden wasn’t the problem. Trump isn’t either. The real problem is us. When we focus on political figures, we distract ourselves from dealing with our own shortcomings. And the biggest one of all? Is our inability to engage in honest, civil discourse with our neighbors, our coworkers, even our own families.

As I’ve said before, I firmly believe no one holds a monopoly on truth. Every belief, every idea, every argument should be challenged—not to win a debate, not to score points, not to divide, but to learn, to understand, and to root out falsehood so that we can discover what’s true. Avoiding that kind of cross-examination is dangerous. As my favorite philosopher, John Stuart Mill, warned, it amounts to nothing less than an “assumption of infallibility.”

Let’s not forget: politicians come and go. But your neighbor, the one whose kids go to school with yours, who plays sports with you, who worships at the same place you do, they may be living next to you for the next 20 years.

Tread lightly with them. Live wisely. Because long after that politician who pits you against each other has faded into history and died, your neighbor’s silent resentment, nurtured by division, mistreatment, and disrespect because of their political views, could outlast any campaign and will be more dangerous than any political rhetoric. History has shown this.

In 1994, in a small African country called Rwanda, 600,000 people were slaughtered in just 100 days. They weren’t killed by foreign armies or outside invaders, but by their own neighbors. Neighbors who once shared meals, borrowed sugar and salt from each other, and whose children played side by side. What led to such horror? Long-standing resentment—unspoken, unresolved, and allowed to fester—until one day, it erupted in unimaginable violence.

(For context: It took 4 years of the U.S. Civil War to reach that death toll. Rwanda reached it in just 100 days.)

I’m not here to tell you what to think. I’m just asking you to think about what you think - critically, humbly, and with reason.

Because in the end, we all face a choice: Do we want to make a point, or do we want to make a difference?

#DontExistLive