Here’s Some Advice: Find Someone You Disagree With and Talk to Them
The pandemic shrank our social circles. It’s time to expand them.
“I’ll tell you one thing, I’m sick of this damn Covid thing.” Carl and I had never met before, but on this we immediately found common ground.
Carl came out to our family’s cabin in New Hampshire to make some long-overdue repairs. We chatted about the weather and the astronomical price of lumber before talking about the pandemic.
In many ways, Carl and I were completely different: I lived in an apartment in New York City; he lived in the countryside on 10 acres with his dog. I spent most of the pandemic in the hospital treating patients; he spent most of it at home. I saw Covid as a public health crisis; Carl felt it was all overblown.
Carl and I agreed we’re both sick of Covid, but when it came to the pandemic, that was about all we saw eye to eye. Regardless, for the next half hour, we had a discussion about Covid-19 and all that came with it that was honest, respectful, and insightful.
What made our chat so refreshing and remarkable was how rare it’s become (for me at least).
This past year has been isolating. Social circles were typically limited to those who saw the pandemic as we did (and…
