Friendship Across the Divide

Friendship across the divide isn’t weakness. It’s wisdom.

I admit to having had a hard time trying to come up with something meaningful to share with you this week. It feels like every foundation on which we’ve built a lifetime of security and freedom is teetering.

And friends I admire hold strong points of view 180 degrees from my own.

I woke up this morning thinking about someone I love who falls into that camp. We’ve only locked horns about it one time. It was painful. But I came to a realization that I hope is helpful to you.

We don’t have to agree on everything to care deeply about one another.

That doesn’t mean sacrificing our values. It means honoring the relationship enough to make space for difference.

Let’s face it. Social media has done more to fracture relationships and amplify division than any cultural event in our lifetime.

And it’s not going away.

Wisdom often appears in the rear-view-mirror. Over a lifetime of managing corporate and community political connections, I’ve learned that behind every strong opinion is a personal story. And when we’re willing to hear that story, without rushing to correct it, things can shift. We soften. We connect.

That does not mean avoiding debate. It’s about learning how to disagree without being disagreeable.

The people who’ve challenged me most have also helped me grow. They have stretched my empathy, expanded my world view, and reminded me that love has the capacity to be bigger than agreement.

Friendship across the divide isn’t weakness. It’s wisdom. It’s choosing grace over judgment and connection over certainty.

It’s finding out where someone else is hurting, and helping to alleviate their suffering… even when we disagree.

And today, these skills might just be the most powerful things we can practice.