Connection isn’t just personal. It’s political.
A healthy democracy requires relationships, trust, physical presence, and shared stakes. If we don’t have anyone in our lives who voted differently than we did, if the only time we talk to our neighbors is when we have something to complain about (if we even bother), if we haven’t been in a room with strangers in months trying to solve a real problem without a mute button or a string of emojis—then we are actively making it easier to divide. Easier to manipulate. Easier to radicalize. Easier to rule.
We collectively dropped the ball. I honestly don’t know what to do and where to start to undo things. I feel alone on my island crying and shouting how wrong and off everything is right now.