Division feels overwhelming right now. We see it in headlines, hear it in conversations, feel it in the space between people who once stood together. Fear and hurt have settled into the cracks, and the pull to retreat into our own circles is strong. But I believe there’s another way.
The space between us doesn’t start as a canyon. It begins as a narrow creek, easy to step across. But every conversation we avoid, every time we choose comfort over messy connection, that creek widens. Eventually, something dangerous happens: the people on the other side stop being people. They become symbols, caricatures, the worst version of what we imagine. When we don’t know anyone who thinks differently, it’s easier to believe they’re monsters.
But we can build bridges. It starts with seeing the human across from us, recognizing that beneath beliefs we can’t understand might be someone scared about the same things we’re scared about, just walking a different road. Every time we choose connection over contempt, we lay another plank across the divide. When enough of us do it, the bridge will hold.