4. Make friends with the other side

Dear Marlowe,

You will often encounter people who have very different opinions to you on something. They might have completely opposing political views, or beliefs about the world that seem crazy to you.

In such circumstances it is easy to see things in black and white. To polarize. To succumb to a “them and us” dynamic. To write them off completely. This is unhelpful.

Instead you must recognize that someone’s opinion on one topic does not define their whole persona. 

We usually have a lot more common ground than we realize, and we can learn something from everyone. Better yet, in building respectful friendships with people of opposing views we can become more open-minded, empathetic, and less quick to judge. All these are good things.

Love,

Dad.

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Letters to Marlowe is a personal project to pass on valuable life advice to my son.

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