People want the world to make sense in their own way. We all see things through the lens of our values, and we all want society to reflect what feels right to us. But those values don’t always line up — and that’s where things start to fracture.
Two Sides of the Same Story
On the right, many people are uncomfortable with how quickly their country is changing. They long for familiarity — for things to feel more like they used to. They’d like to see stronger cultural integration and less rapid transformation. Too often, when they voice those concerns, they’re written off as racist or backward. But in many cases, it’s not about hatred; it’s about fear of losing something they love. When the left dismisses that as ignorance, it only widens the gap.
On the left, many people are wary of overt nationalism — the flags, the slogans, the chest-thumping. To them, it feels exclusionary, even threatening. They value openness: to ideas, to cultures, to people. They believe that sharing and diversity make society richer, and that the risks are worth taking.
Both sides, ultimately, just want the world to reflect their own values. But rather than listening, they often end up shouting.
Why We Talk Past Each Other
Neither side can force the other to think differently. Yet each believes the other would “see the light” if only they knew more, understood more, or were a bit smarter. That’s a comforting illusion — but it misses something deeper.
Our political leanings are not just about logic or facts; they’re rooted in personality and emotion. Research into the Big Five personality traits shows that roughly half of our values come from our natural temperament, and the rest from how we’re raised. In other words, we’re not just arguing ideas — we’re arguing identities.
Add in tribalism, and the problem magnifies. We all have a built-in desire to belong, to defend our “team.” The ego even feeds on conflict; there’s a strange satisfaction in proving the other side wrong. Outrage becomes addictive, and understanding takes a back seat.
Finding Our Way Back
So what’s the way forward? Compromise. Not in the weak, give-up kind of way — but in the mature, democratic sense. A society that swings too far in one direction always snaps back through resentment and backlash. Stability comes from tension — the push and pull between progress and preservation.
Both sides have something valuable to offer. The left drives innovation and inclusion. The right grounds us in stability and continuity. Together, they keep society balanced and adaptable.
The challenge is making sure the centre holds.
We can’t let the extremists — on either end — dominate the conversation. When they do, fear and anger take over, and history has shown us how dangerous that can be.
So maybe the goal isn’t to win the argument, but to understand why the other side believes what they do — and to accept that disagreement is part of a healthy, functioning society.
That’s not weakness. That’s wisdom.