With that hope as a contrast, politics rightly seems small and weak, even though it does contain its own causes and narratives. The thrill of political combat or the hope of an inspiring campaign can provide a sense of purpose, but it’s a thin gruel compared to the holistic impact of a loving family, of deep friendships, and of a healthy church.

Given that contrast, It’s senseless to end a friendship or fracture a family because your opinion about matters you don’t control conflicts with my opinion about matters I don’t control. And to use those differences as pretexts to engage in the kind of interpersonal conduct that really matters—to insult, to threaten, to inflict emotional wounds, to isolate, to deceive, to separate? It staggers the imagination that so many of us have chosen that path.

Again, I’m not saying politics don’t matter. I’m not saying anyone should forsake the public square. But when your neighbors are hurting, understand that so very many are suffering from wounds that politics cannot heal, that even your most fierce convictions shouldn’t stand in the way of grace, and that a lifetime of posting and tweeting is of little consequence compared to the concrete action of reaching out to those who feel so very alone.