As we begin to heal on the other side of a painful presidential election,
we're left with deep cultural divides that frankly have been growing there
for a while. So it's worth taking a giant step back and examining ourselves
and the insulated bubbles we've put ourselves in. As comfortable as this
social insulation is, it--along with a culture of intense sensitivity that
lobotomizes what we say for fear of offending others-- keeps us from the
free exchange of ideas. Instead we perceive someone with even the smallest
deviation from our point of view as "one of them.” While those with extreme
liberal views fight for a unrealistic level of absolute inclusion which
flies in face of our objective differences, extreme conservatives feel
their side of the coin is just as right and they passionately defending
their own strict point of view and seek inclusion as well. Both sides arm
themselves with friends and Facebook feeds which reinforce and fuel what
they already believe. It’s worth taking a step out of that fray and
examining ourselves and yes— fearlessly climbing out of our safe and comfy
pods to try to understand and accept people who are different.