On my mind today...I grew up in a town that was racist, angry, afraid, and hateful. These folks were also mostly Republicans. It has taken me decades to begin to reconsider my knee jerk reaction of “all Republicans are like this.” 1/

The election of Trump initially made this much worse because I am quite certain that he is also racist, angry, afraid, and hateful. 2/

But Twitter also led me to some great (sometimes R, sometimes I) conservatives who are very clearly nor racist, angry, afraid, or hateful. Many of them are outspoken about Trump. Their presence in my life has tempered my knee jerk reaction. 3/

I also have recently become closer friends with a colleague who has classic conservative views and is neither racist, angry, nor hateful. We don’t agree on every governmental policy, but we agree on the fundamental principal that we are all created equal. 4/

Not everyone fits neatly into political boxes, and many of our views are nuanced and complex. That’s good! But it’s not easy. We need to look inside ourselves and consider our core foundational values. 5/

For me, it’s process over outcomes. The ends can never justify the means if the means are thoughtless, immortal, or ill-considered. That’s hard to face sometimes, but it’s a fundamental part of being human. 6/6

*immoral* although immortal is kind of a fun typo here.