Every year around this time, the noise starts to drop. The pace eases a bit. Families gather, neighbors reconnect, and people who disagree on just about everything manage to pass plates across the same table.

Something about late November into December nudges us toward reflection. Whatever you call it--holiday spirit, cultural memory, or just a pause in the chaos--it's real. And in a country this divided, it might be the reminder we need most.

Because the truth is simple: America has never thrived by choosing one ideology over another. It has thrived because our competing visions push, restrain, and refine each other. We forget that at our own risk.

I grew up in a time when political conversations were part of life, not a reason to exile someone from it. You could disagree without severing the relationship. The center wasn't seen as a weakness. It was maturity--the space where........

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