Impossible Dream

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"Don't ever talk politics or religion at a party."

I remember my mother saying that once. I was just a kid. I couldn't figure out why anyone would fight about it. Politics, maybe, but who didn't think God was watching?

Now the dream seems impossible.

How do we all avoid arguing, arguing, arguing?

Here's the thing:

"I have great friends on both side of the political "fight".

Of those people some I can talk to extensively about any and all subjects without there ever being anything close to an argument. Those close friends can call me "bleeding heart" or "liberal" without either of us blinking an eye.

We're close. We understand one another intellectually and we know, deep down, that on most issues, we're a lot closer than further apart.

We accept the differences, respect the gap, and love the banter.

Where the "talk" has gotten out of hand is the dialogue between those we don't know at all.

Everyone is equal in the comment section on a social media post.

An intellectual and a radicalist can post one after another...

...common ground be damned!

That argument will slip into an abyss of name-calling and hate.

I have some hope for the day after this horrible election:

I really hope and pray that there will be compromise reached.

Even as I wrote that...I understood how impossible that would be.

It's going to get worse, isn't it?

We are in serious trouble here, aren't we?

I hope I'm wrong...

...I want us to all get along!

But what do I know?

I'm just old bleeding heart!

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