We are the problem and the solution.

3/8/2025

Writing to survive the trump administration. Episode 45: We are the problem and the solution.

Therapists and various friends and acquaintances have repeated some version of this wisdom to me over the years: we are hurt in relationship, and we heal in relationship too. Or: we are the disease and also the antidote; the problem and the solution.

So: when we experience heartbreak, let’s not become hardened; instead, let’s allow the pain to expand us and help us grow stronger and more resilient. When someone hurts us, let’s do the work to forgive them (however that looks); when we hurt someone else, let’s be brave enough to repair and learn and do better.

We’ve made a lot of mistakes, individually and collectively – but that doesn’t mean all is lost. It means we have the opportunity to reach out to each other and navigate a way forward, together. We’re all we have.