Two things can be true at the same time. I can love my country, respect the vision of the Founding Fathers and also recognize that mistakes were made many times by many people. I can have deep love for something flawed. I can care about having reasonable immigration policy while also recognizing the shared humanity of my fellow man. I can see them as my brothers and my sisters and reach out to them with healing and hope. I can treat others with the dignity and respect that they deserve. Opinion: More gratitude could be the answer to our political divide I can recognize my privilege as someone who has grown up white and middle class and simultaneously want others to have the same privilege as myself. It doesn’t hurt me to reach out to someone different than myself. I don’t want my world to be an echo chamber. I want to be filled with the cultural noise of many voices. I can struggle to understand someone in the LGBTQ+ community while also recognizing that I am not living their experience. Trusting others to be honest about what they feel inside and who they are as a person is giving them the same honor and courtesy that I want for myself on my own journey. I do not get to discount someone’s experiences just because I haven’t experienced those things myself. I can value the research and dedication of skilled scientific professionals who are vastly more educated than myself while also recognizing that these studies are not perfect. I can use their expertise as one branch in my decision-making process without allowing it to dictate that decision making process. I can welcome new information and respect the scientific process. It doesn’t harm me to be honest about our past. It doesn’t harm me to treat humans with respect. It doesn’t harm me to offer a job to someone not like myself. It doesn’t harm me to believe someone else’s experience. It doesn’t harm me to hear what scientific experts have to say. I want an America that isn’t run by extreme politics — on either side. I want an America that learns to drop the black-and-white policy rhetoric. I want an America that sits down to counsel with each other with open minds and hearts. I want an America willing to listen and learn from the diverse life experiences we all bring to the table. I want an America that is “One Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” ‘Bonds of affection’ — Is unity ever possible in a divided America?