I’ve stayed fairly quiet on politics this year, even after the election. The reason for this is simple: I’m a liberal from a rural, conservative state. Holding a conversation with any political undertone had a risk of creating unneeded tension with people I care about. I wasn’t sure of the best way to contribute to the discussions that were and are dividing our country.

After watching the video of Trevor Noah interviewing Tomi Lahren, I decided it was time to break my silence. If you haven’t seen the interview, I highly recommend taking the 26 minutes to watch it.

What really struck me while watching this interview was the free-flowing exchange of opposing ideas. The First Amendment gets brought up often in the clip and the pair is executing that right in an exceptional way. To say there is an unexceptional way would be inaccurate, as Noah points out, but the conversation between Noah and Lahren has something many politically-charged conversations lack these days: respect.

On the day after the election, I spent lots of time talking to friends about the outcome. I was texting with one of my co-workers and he sent this message:

“Although I don’t want to be, I’ve been very careful to be respectful to my friends who voted for Trump. And just share my point of view and disagreements. And without fail, none of them have been willing to discuss. Which is disappointing because in previous elections when my friends voted for Bush, Romney, or McCain, we usually had fairly open and robust conversations, and that is not happening anymore.”

I realized immediately that he was right. This statement is not true for everyone, there are always exceptions. It also isn’t just applicable to ‘Trumpers,’ but to Hillary supporters as well. In this nasty, disheartening election, Americans stopped listening to each other and, in my opinion, that’s why we are where we are.

This interview is a small, but much-needed step back in the right direction. We all don’t need to agree. Expecting that to happen is unrealistic. We do need to talk. Keep an open mind and ask your Democratic friends why they support gun control. Democrats, respectfully ask your Republican friends why they don’t. All I ask is that we start these conversations, keep them respectful and finish listening before thinking of a response back.

The most memorable exchange I’ve had post-election was with my grandpa. He said his pieces, I said mine and the entire conversation was done respectfully, without shaming the other’s opinions. I was in tears reading one of his last messages to me:

“You are so loved and the very fact that you care and are willing to stand up for what you believe makes me so very proud of you.”