To me, a helpful conversation is an example of why it's great to know people who are different from you.

After speaking with a friend, I feel like the POV that looking at mental and emotional wellness is just as important as looking at other things, like war, is very wise, and it's true. It is connected to larger things. So it's not just a cop-out, like an "I'm just avoiding the harsh reality of war for selfish reasons" thing, like they might have told you if you did not want to read a book about war in school. It's connected to being able to make better decisions, and it's something you can actually work with. It's better to be able to work with something that's more tangible and closer to you.

But I've seen a clip of a child crying because he's being directly impacted by hunger. And that's awful to know about, that such needless human suffering is still happening. The people "on the other side" who are protesting their own suffering by blocking aid trucks and trying to be controlling are very traumatized and unwell and dysregulated. You know you don't starve people to just get back at, not only acts of violence, but a persecuted feeling you carried around with you your whole life. You know you can be better than that, and even deserve better than that.