Assume Goodwill

From disparagement to curiosity

“Don’t you just hate Obama? He’s such an idiot.”

I was 18 years old and desperately trying to impress my new friend from Texas. I’ll never forget his response:

“Well, hate is a pretty strong word, and I have a hard time believing that the President of the United States is an idiot. I might not agree with him on a lot of issues, but I certainly don’t hate the man.”

Fisher and I would go on to become the best of friends, and that is largely due to how genuinely thoughtful he is when it comes to everything—not just politics. Thanks in part to Fisher, over the next four years, I challenged myself and my beliefs in an effort to build a strong foundation upon which I could stand in the world. This resulted in finding my way from the far political right to the very center—often struggling with compelling and opposing viewpoints. It was through simple attempts at human understanding that I was able to make the greatest progress.

With the Federal Government currently shut down, political gridlock gripping Congress, and hyper-partisanship at an all-time high across the country, I think the world could use more empathy.