I grew up in a country of tragedy and internal conflict.

As a millennial in America, I have watched far too many news reels of mass shootings, bombings, and other types of terror attacks. From the unprecedented scale and horror of 9/11 to smaller scale but increasingly routine attacks such as the Texas church shooting, these events have become like a sad fact of life.

In the aftermath of these events, though, a clear divide appears to emerge in our society. This divide seems to go even deeper than issues such as gun control and whether or not law enforcement should use profiling.

This stark divide is between those who feel there should be conversation on what caused the event, and those who avoid such conversation and chastise those who have it as “politicizing tragedy.”

I certainly can sympathize with the fears of the latter camp. We humans are a crafty folk, and there are some individuals who would not hesitate to maximize human suffering for political gain. No doubt some politicians have done so.

And of course, tension runs high after these events. We are angry, hurt, and fearful for ourselves and our loved ones. It’s a recipe that makes civil discourse seem next to impossible at times, and I have to imagine that many individuals have learned that lesson and thus decided to stop having these discussions.

That being said, I fear that avoiding conversation over what led to these events – even in the days immediately following the tragedy – is one of the most dangerous things we can do as a nation.

The Vegas shooting already seems to have faded from the national consciousness. I imagine that the Texas church shooting will be seldom talked about outside the state by next week. They are uncomfortable topics, things that we would rather not think about.

So long as it doesn’t affect us, we reason, we can stay out of the discussion. We figure that we save ourselves a great deal of fear and argument by doing so.

In 2017, however, the truth is that these events do affect each and every one of us. For whatever reason, we are not as safe as we were before. These attacks have happened in churches, concerts, marathons, schools, and workplaces, all areas that 20 years ago we wouldn’t have dreamed were vulnerable to such danger.

The trend shows no sign of slowing down, and I worry that it won’t unless we as a society take a collective deep breath and have a collective discussion. We have to choose one of the most difficult things to do as human beings – to take our ego out of our approach and try to listen to one another.

We can’t shy away from discussing issues like gun control and mental health, because therein we might find the answer to this heinous trend of terror in America. Regardless of your stance on the issues, be prepared to hear the other side and share yours peacefully – be mindful of the fact that others are often as afraid as you are. Just as the person who believes in gun rights worries they will be unable to defend themselves from an attacker if guns are taken from them, the person who believes in gun control worries that the attacker will have an easier path to harm them should guns not be more regulated.

The bottom line is, we have to begin a discourse on these issues after attacks happen. We can’t hide anymore. Hiding from discourse gives those who perpetrate terrorist attacks a victory, their events furthering a wedge driven between camps in our society.

We the People are stronger than that, and it’s time to show each other and the world by being willing to talk.