We Don't Need to Be at War With Each Other

I saw a meme today claiming California would lose political power if all "illegals" were deported. It struck me—not just because it was wrong, but because of how casually it treated human beings as disposable. Just numbers to erase.

It made me think: most conflict, deep down, is about people trying to protect their families.

Sometimes that protection looks like fear, control, or blame—especially when we've never learned any other way to feel safe.

But what if we started with compassion instead?

What if we saw people—immigrants, neighbors, strangers—not as threats, but as fellow survivors? What if we understood that a lot of political anger is really just unprocessed pain? Fear from childhood. Trauma inherited. A nervous system stuck in defense.

You can't extend compassion to others if you've never been taught to offer it to yourself.

I'm rooting for a world where community means healing, not scapegoating. Where protecting your family doesn't require being at war with someone else's.

We need to be kinder to our enemies.

That's where the real change begins.