This weekend I attended a rally outside the Planned Parenthood in Mishawaka, Indiana. At the rally, two different groups stood protesting—one pro-Planned Parenthood and one anti-Planned Parenthood. Though I expected tension between these two groups, I was pleasantly surprised at how peaceful the protesters were and how respectful the groups were of each other. In the current political climate, it seems left and right wing politicians speak different languages—they cannot communicate or are unwilling to do so. This weekend’s protest was the only one I have ever attended, but it made me think that politicians today could learn something from protestors.

I attended this event with a friend who was covering it for the school newspaper, I didn’t go in intending to protest on either side, instead, I just wanted to experience it. Never having attended a protest before, I was interested to see what the atmosphere would be like—especially with two groups who disagree so completely.

Though most of the protestors were pro-Planned Parenthood, there were a significant number of anti-Planned Parenthood protestors as well. The first thing I noticed about these two groups is how different the people were. On the pro-Planned Parenthood side, people seemed generally younger (though there was a good amount of older people as well). They dressed casually and in some cases, their clothing was worn down. And I was struck by the amount of men on the pro-Planned Parent side. The event was actually put together by a man (though I did not catch his name) and though the women outnumbered the men, a significant number of men of all ages showed up. On the anti-Planned Parenthood, the amount of men versus women seemed about equal, and the crowd seemed generally older than the pro-Planned Parenthood protestors. They also dressed a little more formally in button-down shirts, khakis, and pullovers.

I want to emphasize the differences between these groups because despite looking like completely different types of people, they respected one another. At no time while I was there did anyone from either side insult the other side or seem hostile at all. And it wasn’t as if both sides stayed on their portion of the sidewalk with a hard line drawn between them that no one ever crossed, people walked through the opposing sides without being harassed, and in some parts of the sidewalk, people from opposing groups stood right next to one another, but still, no insults were traded.

Before I went to this rally, I thought for sure someone would get into fight with another person. Planned Parenthood is an issue people are so passionate about and everyone seems to have an opinion on, but protestors from both sides were calm and respectful. It seemed to contradict what I see on the news and read in headlines. Members of Congress seem unable to even listen to one another and the thought of compromising on a subject seems unthinkable.

But, if ordinary citizens can stand next each other peaceably while still making their views known, then Congress should be able to do at least that too. It is Congress’s job to find solutions for the country’s problems, and in order to do that, they need to be able to work together.

From what I saw this weekend, it seems like protesters are better at listening to one another than some Congress members are. Maybe if the government wants to communicate more effectively, they should look to protestors for a lesson.