This year’s election laid bare a lot of problems in our society: economic inequality, social injustice, racism and xenophobia, government and business corruption, to name a few. But perhaps the worst problem, the one that must be solved before we can solve all the rest, is division. Right now we are a divided and highly partisan nation. There are always going to be different opinions. There’s nothing wrong with that. The right to openly disagree is one of the greatest freedoms we have in this country, and it’s an important part of democracy. And in fact, it’s a good thing as differences of opinion lead to productive discussions which in turn brings forth compromised results that can help Americans from all walks of life. Or at least, that’s how it’s supposed to work. But our country has at all levels become so partisan that no side wants to so much as hear the other, let alone work with them. We've chosen to become deaf.

There’s a term that has been used a lot in the weeks since the election ended. “The liberal bubble.” It’s the idea that those with left-leaning opinions, particularly those in Democratic strongholds on the coasts and in urban areas, live in a different world than the rest of America sandwiched in between. They watch only CNN and MSNBC or read only the New York Times, which are all argued (fairly) to have a liberal bias, completely disregarding information from anywhere else that doesn’t fit their personal narrative. They often portray an ‘elitist’ attitude, treating anyone with more conservative stances as backwater and old school. (The idea that anyone who voted for Donald Trump is a racist or misogynist is a great example of this.) All of these are fair criticisms to make. But what’s also true is that those on the right, living in the rest of the country away from the big cities, refuse to listen to anything outside their conservative bubble. Arguments that Fox News has a conservative bias (which it unquestionably does) are invalidated, and information coming out of any source not part of this bubble is treated as trash. Those on the left are disregarded as simply “out of touch.” Again, the criticisms are fair, but the problem here is that we’ve gotten to a point as a country where neither side is willing to listen to or engage with the other.

I personally am quite far to the left on most issues. But I’ve also been raised to never take information at face value and to question everything. I watch CNN and MSNBC, and I read the New York Times, but I also watch Fox News and read the New York Post. Unfortunately, our news sources have become skewed one way or the other and often are no longer objective, but by keeping my mind open to all sides I am able to learn the truth, which usually lies somewhere in the middle. The truth isn’t always convenient, and I don’t always like it. But because I’m open to it, I am able to have productive discussions with both conservative and liberal friends and family and can find common ground with them. Our media must start doing this, our politicians must start doing this, and we the people must start doing this. For the good of our country, we must learn to listen not just to reply, but also to understand one another. Only then can we heal our wounds and come together to create a better America. As the saying goes: "United we stand, divided we fall."