Leave the Light On
Leave the Light On
Repair Our Families To Repair Our Democracy
A few years ago, I lost a beloved cousin.
On some issues, we never saw eye to eye, but we always managed to put those differences aside and enjoy each other’s company while talking about everything we did agree on. He was a treasure.
And then he was gone.
One day, after seeing some of my political opinions on social media, he blocked me, and I have not heard from him since.
In the current struggle to protect our democracy, we all have heard about such casualties to longstanding relationships - estrangement between family members, longtime friends, and acquaintances.
Early in the presidential campaign, I noticed a lot of people on social media posting messages about the importance of preserving relationships despite political disagreement. Typically, the responses to those messages were positive.
But more recently, I have noticed more online controversy on this issue, even among some who agree that the MAGA movement poses a serious threat to our democracy. More people seem willing to write off long-time friends. And even beloved cousins.
But if we eject so many people from our lives now, who will be available to help this country heal when, as we hope, we emerge from this dark period in our history?
We need to leave a light on, so when we emerge from this darkness, we can find a way back to each other, end this divisiveness, and resume working together to repair our democracy and keep it strong.
Post submitted by Julia Cochran
Julia Cochran is a volunteer with The Union and a licensed counselor in private practice in Georgia. She grew up among a family of democracy-loving Republicans, served as president of her local Teen Age Republican club, and numbers among her cherished friends who currently disagree with her politics.
Note: The views and opinions expressed by volunteer contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of The Union, a single-issue organization that welcomes all and is dedicated to protecting democracy.
If you’re interested in tips for having respectful conversations with others when you may not agree about everything? Review our Thanksgiving Survival Guide (that’s useful every day of the year).
If you’d like to help defend democracy in the US, we invite you to join The Union.
Very well said, we have a country with pretty much everything going great for it, it would a shame to have the political divide tear it down. I agree that we need to keep the lines of communication open and treat each other with respect.