One inescapable conclusion that social media underscores is that none of us think completely alike, and it’s easy to lump folks who think differently into buckets of idiots. This is not to say that folks aren’t legitimately bucketized into cohorts of idiots, but it’s too broad a brush for every ideological disagreement.

A core belief of mine is that we share this planet, and we should be doing our best to leave it better than we found it. It’s hard to understand the mindset of those who disagree, whether that’s taking care of their corner of the world, looking out for their fellow man, or just not being a colossal dick. Crudely I describe this is “fuck you, I’ve got mine.” Some element of this philosophy can be self-protection, but selfishness taken to the extreme becomes “this is why we can’t have nice things.”

For those who think ideologically opposed folks are all idiots, well, just know quite a few think you’re one as well. Compromise (when possible*) might be the only way to bring some of those folks along with you, but you have to be willing to go along with them.

*This does not include compromising with Nazis, fascists, or other indefensible stances. I’m talking about where reasonable minds can and do differ.