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Without respect and commitment in dead center of all shared viewpoints, arguments often follow and rally the wrong side of the human brain, sending out signals that we are in danger from the opposing side; confrontation then arises along with a flurry of hurtful comments, necessitating our need to respond aggressively, or just walk away.

Of course, the subject matter here is politics and, wherever we stand on the political coin, we dig our heels in, remaining loyal in our support, focused on those who promise to make and keep America what it should be. The hard work, however painful, with its many challenges, requires us to examine ourselves and our opposing, yet preciously held, viewpoints.

Let’s face it, one’s political affiliation has become a powerful way for people to assess who to be close to and who to avoid; family members caught in any of these heated conversations often need healing from the insurmountable divides which result. In our country, sweeping hysteria has impacted families with one side believing that the other is wrong, the opposing side calling the other deplorables; such attitudes are a destructive recipe for hurting families and undermining the needed rebuilding of our country.

There is a great deal of emotional pain when communication dies within a family and sadness lingers as a constant reminder of that conflict, whether justified or not, whether there is any rational sense or not; attempting to understand why someone cuts you off certainly will not bring a reversal. There are times things do not make sense, no amount of reasoning will help the situation and attempts by both sides to prove the other wrong is an exercise in futility, better to be seen as an ally, not an adversary. Becoming angry and aggressive creates a defensive situation, not a receptive one; far better to show that there is an understanding of an opposing perspective even if that differs from what you know or believe to be true, the struggle continues.

From the Writer’s Workshop: Write a post in exactly 8 sentences.

With both math and physics pointing to the likely conclusion that intelligent life-forms inhabit planets elsewhere in our universe, I tend to sit back and agree, with confidence. Do I honestly feel that any of us will be able to communicate, even interact with such beings in our lifetime? Hell no, let’s get real here, people.

I feel that we’d all like to know what is out there given so many instances where we’ve stood gazing up at the night sky, wondering if maybe other beings were looking down on us, thinking the same. How many of us, whenever we looked up at a moonless night sky wondered how maybe one day, we might count the stars? The Milky Way galaxy alone has 400 billion stars, and there are 2 trillion galaxies beyond it; if only one in a hundred billion stars can support advanced life, then there are likely just four candidates in the Milky Way.

The skies above us are much vaster than we ever imagined, think about it; our universe is home to a hundred billion trillion stars, most with planets revolving around them and, at some point, the odds of discovering extraterrestrial life, simple life, composed of individual cells or small multicellular organisms is just about everywhere in our universe.

The more expert we become in observing and calculating the outer reaches of the cosmos, and the more we understand about how many galaxies, stars and exoplanets exist, the greater the possibility of there being intelligent life on one of those planets; in all of this, there may be only one or two planets in our two trillion galaxies which might add up to a lot of possible, intelligent, neighbors.

Do we really want to know if we’re not alone in the universe? Scientists have been listening for some element of celestial conversation for years and while there is a high statistical likelihood of intelligent life having evolved elsewhere in our universe, there is a very low probability that we will be able to communicate or interact with any of them. We should all take comfort from the knowledge that there are so many powerful forces in the universe, far more abstract than alien intelligence, simple things like love, faith and friendship, all impossible to measure or calculate, but they remain our foundation, our sense of purpose.

At this stage of my life, I hold out some hope that, eventually, humans will make contact with extraterrestrial intelligence, in whatever far-flung system they may live. Until then, there will be generations of young star gazers in our world, standing watch, looking skyward, with amazement and wonder, believing that there is so much more out there, beyond the stars.

From the Writer’s Workshop: Write a post in exactly 13 sentences./If evidence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe were discovered, would it alter your core beliefs or sense of self?

The word “patience” has an almost gentle sound when spoken. In itself, it represents an act of kindness although such actions are not always easy with certain individuals.

Patience should be our virtue, especially when dealing with each other and, of course, certain situations; we often do not know just what others may be going through. Putting ourselves in their shoes can help us imagine what they might be experiencing. Taking such a step may help us develop more of a tolerance for a particular incident and those involved.

Reframing our perceived annoyances helps with dealing with the struggles someone may be experiencing. Just one momentary act of understanding can go a very long way when we pause and show a bit of grace to someone in emotional need. Most of all, it takes such little effort.

We have to keep remembering that patience is not just about waiting for something without frustration. Rather than seeing someone’s actions as an inconvenience, view that as a reflection of their struggles.

Patience is reminding ourselves to breathe. Patience is remembering that we are all human and should always respond with kindness and understanding. Patience is remembering that we are all in this together.

Just a little patience can help to make everyone’s journey a great deal smoother.

From the Writer’s Workshop: Write a post based on the word patience. Write a post in exactly 14 sentences.