I was once told by a teacher in high school that it was good for me to learn to listen to people who didn’t necessarily think like me and to not only talk to like-minded people. This was after a particularly grueling class where classmates more or less told me that my opinions were wrong and my political beliefs were dumb. I agree that we shouldn’t always just hear from people with the same ideologies. But what I didn’t appreciate was the insinuation that I lacked the ability to have a civil conversation with people who did not see eye to eye with me. In fact, most of my childhood and young adult life was spent surrounded by people who didn’t agree with me on a ethical, moral, or spiritual level. That’s hard. Especially for a young person who is trying to figure out their core values.

Upon coming to college, I learned the true value of balancing the ability to talk to people who agree with you and people who don’t. Attending what I would consider to be a mostly conservative school did nothing to quell my inner liberal fire, but I slowly found a community of people with similar ideologies. There is something incredibly soothing about sitting around with a group of people who view the world the same way as you and simply venting about the issues you see in the world. In many ways, it will help you in your interactions with people who don’t think the same way.

It’s important to find a balance between the two worlds. In one way, you need to learn to be a global citizen. And this sometimes means that people aren’t going to agree with you and they are going to argue with you about your beliefs. But it’s also important to find validation in a group of people who know what you are going through and your frustrations and your joys.

So go forward and find your ideological family. And be prepared to find people who are your fellow men who aren’t the same.