If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard someone use the word “but” lately…

We argued over the validity of COVID-19 when we first began to discover the “facts.” One expert said one thing, and we said, “but…” because another expert (or someone on social media) said something else. We argued over the precautions. One person said we should or shouldn’t do something, and we said, “but…,” often to justify what we most wanted to do out of comfort or stubbornness. We argued as the same precautions we argued against began to loosen, because “but…” it wasn’t fast enough, slow enough, considerate enough, or personally convenient enough.

If one political party does one thing, our response is “but…” to stand firm in our position. When racial tensions soared, we argued about who was wrong and why, often getting far off track of the original situation (although who can really get to an original situation with so much hate for so long). We were ready and armed with our “but…” to point out the rights and wrongs of individuals, groups, protests, violence, curfews, leadership, and just about anything else we wanted to express an opinion about.

Don’t get me wrong. Opinions are important. We need to share. But…let’s…

Let’s put “let’s” before “but.” Seriously, what if we start our statements with “let’s” instead of “but”? Could we bring people together more than widen the divide? Are we willing to do that, because let’s be honest, it takes some effort and humility. It takes respect and time. It takes patience and compassion. And a lot of us are struggling with those qualities in practice right now. Some aren’t struggling, because they’re just ignoring all those qualities and doing things their own way.

Let’s be better. Together. Even when we disagree, let’s share. Even when we disagree, let’s listen.