Let's move forward, together

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been asked, ‘What have you learned over the past year?’ It’s an interesting question and one that took me a few days to reflect on and consider. Often in the midst of a tragedy, you can learn incredible things about yourself and in this case, a society.

The biggest thing I’ve learned over the past year is that political discourse is driving us apart. Far too often, instead of coming together and finding common ground, we stand in the corner and throw rocks at each other. Politicians are guilty and social media certainly adds to the animosity with anyone able to name-call anonymously from behind a computer screen.

The last year has brought a striking reminder that life is precious. Over 2,000 San Diegans died from this horrific virus. Overdoses have risen dramatically. Students have had to sit behind a computer screen for hours a day, instead of being in the classroom and interacting with each other. No matter what your political affiliation, or what you think about politics, nobody wants this.

The way we form the best ideas and learn about different perspectives and topics is by listening. Name calling is always a way to bypass debate, score a quick point for your “team,” but it doesn’t accomplish anything. And when we can’t come together, we must agree to disagree and move forward, productively.

So, as we move forward, I think we should all take a moment to reflect on what we’ve learned during this pandemic. Let’s continue to be curious and question authority, but let’s put down our rocks, let’s start to debate in a civil manner and let’s treat everyone with respect. The worst is over and the best is yet to come, let’s move forward San Diego, together!