I wish you and yours all the best for 2020!
If I had just one wish for the New Year: it would be nice to have a lot of good conversations. Firmly based on whatever facts available. Focusing on the merits of the content, not on identification with any labels attached either to positions or to the persons holding them (now or in the past). Taking the time necessary to look at things in nuance and detail.
So often the seeming “divisiveness” all around stems from a focus on the aspects separating positions. When focused on, a small ditch can easily become an uncrossable chasm. Even if both sides to a discussion might agree on 98% of everything being said.
If we made a conscious effort to focus on the 98%, we might find a way to bridge that last 2%. Or could simply good-naturedly agree that insofar we have a slightly different take, which in light of the overall alignment doesn’t really matter all that much.
Focusing on the overlap instead of the gap does not make for great social media headlines, morning TV snippets or clickbait. But it makes living together, working together, doing business and generally interacting so much easier.