Most everyone agrees our society is more polarized. It’s the least polarizing assertion. The age of individualism has led to the mass customization of ideas and perspectives, which would be a rather interesting endeavor, if it weren’t for the constant creation of echo chambers that tell people just what they want to hear, and not much of anything else. This virtual, and often times physical, isolation from differing perspectives often makes for nasty clashes, and those who don’t really have the ability to converse with differing opinions resort to anger instead of polite reasoning. I would argue the situation is a little better in person than online, but not much.

Which brings me to a peculiar advantage I have as a reporter. It requires me to not focus on my opinion. Since the chief role of a reporter is to listen, it gives me the opportunity to focus more on the perspectives of others. Sometimes this seems like a cop-out, as if I’m not doing my part to add to the cacophony. One could say that not having an opinion on every subject, regardless of what you actually know about it, almost goes against the grain of our culture.

But the reality is, I actually like listening, especially to people who I would never have any reason to talk to otherwise. I enjoy getting into conversations and riddling out the details of varying perspectives. It’s led to some very interesting friendships and connections.

Not that I never share my opinion. This editorial is, after all, an opinion. But I’ve found there are much fewer things worth arguing over than I would have imagined.