Yesterday, President Obama, speaking in Tucson, Arizona in the wake of the recent shootings, said:
“At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized, at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do, it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds.”
I have to be careful when I hear words like these. Because when I hear them, I might automatically nod my head and think, "Yes, the people who disagree with me should be more civil." But this isn't about other people.
It's about me, the only person I can do anything about. I can help end partisanship by making sure that I talk in a way that that heals.
If I want to help the world, what I have to remember is that this is about my conduct. It's about me.