I was having a conversation with some coworkers/friends at lunch today. We certainly do not try to have political discussions at work because talking about politics at the office can be bad news. However, we are also rational people, so if the conversation goes in a political direction, we do not shy away from it. This lunch was no different, and we quickly began talking about politics. I do not want to recount the entire discussion, but I did want to make a couple of points.

First, here in the US, the media, the politicians, and the extreme activists on both sides would have us all believe we are beyond getting along. This “woke” sub-culture has gotten so loud and bullish that it distorts reality. When I talk to most people face-to-face, we don’t seem to be that far off on things that matter most, but the radical woke crowd would have us all thinking that we can no longer agree to disagree. I feel this is just not true. We are much more agreeable with one another than we are being led to believe.

Second, I think we can agree on some pretty sensible things. One example would be term limits for all elected officials. Another one would be the end of lobbyists in Washington. I think we are all firm believers that our current two-party political system has become corrupt and needs an overhaul. I also believe that we can agree police officers are enforcers of the law but not above the law, and there needs to be a better way to enforce consequences on officer infractions.

There are probably a lot more things we can find that we agree on. The real issue is that we all must stop listening to the radicals, the woke, the media, and the politicians. We have to take the time to talk to each other, encourage each other, and take the time to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes. It’s essential to have empathy and to treat each other as we want to be treated. Beyond treatment, we should talk to each other as we want to be spoken to. In the end, I believe we Americans can fix things if we learn to work together against those that are working to tear us apart.