I have hope.

There is much despair and fear in our country. The media perpetuates the division in our country. Is it possible to watch the news and not be depressed? The media relies on clicks and viewership to maintain their bottom line and division is the best way to accomplish that goal. We are the victims of this situation. But we can be survivors if we have vision.

The vision of our future is to take back control of our thoughts and minds to imagine a world in which reasonable people can talk with one another about politics. I know, it seems impossible. We have all been led to believe it and trolls seem to make it true. But, I believe there are folks out there ready, willing and able to start a conversation.

Start with someone you know is close to your political stance. Talk with them about politics in general at first and get use to having a political chat. Next try getting into some specifics – what do they believe on a certain issue. Chances are good you both won’t have the same information or differ on facts or see the issue differently. That’s good! This is the beginning of a great conversation.

We need to realize that we don’t all agree exactly on any issue. This is where the Plaid in Political Plaid comes from. Each individual thread has something to offer. We weave a pattern together with all of our ideas.

We can practice on topics that don’t have a lot of disparity and find our way to common ground and potential solutions. Once we get good at this level, we can branch out to folks just out of our sphere of beliefs.

Envision a world where we can talk with one another. Imagine it and it can come true.