This summer we visited Colorado where we were born and a place we call home. The time away provided a welcome breather from the barrage of news. Hiking in the mountains, spending time together, put life in a different perspective.

In an increasingly complex world, we get confused. Why is there so much turmoil? Is there room for everyone? How can we all coexist peacefully when people believe such divergent things? What causes people to hate?

Some think that learning to tolerate each other holds promise. Tolerance is a low bar, but maybe it is a place to start. We all have different perspectives based on our families, our communities, our experiences, and our cultures. One is not better than the other, just different. That is what many people learned growing up. When we read the news, it is clear that was something some of us forgot along the way.

Still, we can remember. We can begin with one person and be kinder, more accepting, and at the very least be tolerant. It may mean we don’t try to get people to believe the same as we do. It may mean we have to set aside stereotypes. It may mean we have to just accept everyone as other humans on this planet. It is a start.

Martin Luther King said, “If we don’t learn to live together as brothers, we will perish together as fools.” That is what we learned when we were growing up. It would serve us well now.