Almost three months into 2018 and the world has seen a massive school shooting where 17 students were killed, lured outside by the pretense of a fire alarm.

This year has also continued with trends of harrowing polarization, as well as a lack of rationality and listening that exists on both sides of the political compass.

My hometown is a bubble. As grateful as I am for the constant acceptance and welcoming space my community provides, I do realize there are two sides to every story.

For instance, certain things have become commonplace or accepted in my day to day life. After the 2016 election, the only way to describe my school hallways was gloomy and somber, matching the dark and dreary weather outside. Two teachers gave me a hug, and one girl wept at her desk as her dreams of the first female president were washed away by the harsh winds outside.

I was shocked on election day, and the following day did feel surreal.

“The silent majority” wanted to be heard. And this November, despite all the rallies, SNL skits, and scandals, they decided it was time to have a voice.

To me, this is hardly about politics anymore. It worries me to live in a nation so fragmented, not because of the man in charge, or those who sit behind the doors of the Oval Office making decisions that will shape our today and tomorrow.

It worries me because as a nation, we have become so close-minded. Both liberals and conservatives claim to be open, attentive, and watchful. Yet, it seems they would never sit down and explain their views to someone different from them, to listen, analyze, and have a two-way conversation.

I tend to believe we are all a little more similar than we like to let on. I think it is often difficult to believe we have commonalities with those who conjure up ideas of fear or destruction, those written off as the “bad guys.”

So instead of tears and disturbing rhetoric, I believe we should start having conversations with those who we deem are different from us. We should step outside our individual bubbles for a breath of fresh air. We should speak our mind, but be open to those with differing perspectives, because realizing we are not, all the same, may be the first step to change.

I find it also important to read the news. Not just one source - but many different versions of the news. Read "Buzzfeed", but then back up and read the New York Times. Then skim through the "Chicago Tribune." The first step is to be educated, and then decide and understand what you believe in.

I know that if we take a second to step back from the chaos of everyday life and communicate with others, we may be surprised about what we see on Facebook, hear in the school hallways, or hear in passing on the train or the bus.

We are lucky enough to be given the keys to communication, to educate one another by shooting off a quick email or being a click away from differing perspectives after a simple google search.

So far in 2018, the world has come together to compete at the Winter Olympics, women (and men) banded behind the “Me Too” movement, shedding light on sexual assault, and walk-outs in schools across the nation are set in April to protest the audacity of gun violence.

Throughout all the polarization of anger between people in our society, the world keeps moving. It keeps morphing and creating and becoming a more modern place to live.

I think it is time we followed suit, because growth should include conversation, and a conversation begins when we disagree with one another.