I Don’t Want to Change Your Mind

I just want to exist as I am

This piece was inspired by the political divide that’s always prevalent in this country. I wrote it from a place of wanting acceptance and not to spread judgment.

Wishing we could just meet others halfway and be open to different perspectives and opinions sounds like asking for a million dollars out of the blue. Still, I believe we can get back to a place of listening to one another without ostracizing those closest to us and those not.

Photo by Evie S. on Unsplash

I feel like there’s a lot of “wrongness” in the world. Either you’re right or wrong, on the right side or the wrong side. And if you’re on the wrong side, you stop mattering in the eyes of those who believe they’re right.

It’s exhausting. Both sides talk, but rarely to each other—just to their own echo chambers. No one wants to listen for fear of tainting their opinions, of letting a different perspective shake the foundation they’ve built. The world feels like a closed circle, and depending on where you stand, you either can’t get in or you can’t get out.

It’s isolating to know that some people won’t even try to understand your side of things. Not because they’ve listened and disagreed, but because they refuse to engage at all. And to make peace with that—to accept that some minds won’t ever open, that some hearts won’t ever soften—feels impossible.

I don’t want to recruit or exile anyone. I just want to exist peacefully, express my thoughts without them being seen as an attack, and extend the same courtesy to others. To agree to disagree and still talk over a cup of tea.

But I know that’s asking too much. I wouldn’t try to move a mountain, but I would hope someone at the top might throw a ladder down. I don’t want to waste away waiting for the wind to erode the rock enough to make it climbable.

There should be effort on both sides—someone willing to help navigate this unfamiliar yet not-so-different terrain.

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This next part is for those who’ve felt the silence in relationships, in their art, in their voice. If you’ve ever tiptoed around truth to keep the peace—you’re not alone. Upgrade your subscription to read the rest and support honest, nuanced expression.

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