Recently, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a champion of progressive policies, died.  This resulted in national sadness, and predictably, further divisions regarding her legacy and court seat.  What most individuals may not know is she was also a close friend of Antonin Scalia.  If you don’t know, he was a stalwart conservative justice who died a few years prior.  While puzzling on the surface, after reading previous posts, I hope that that you now find this kind of friendship both understandable and aspirational.  Although vigorous opponents on the bench, the pair had an incredibly fruitful relationship out of mutual respect for each others as individuals, and openness to discuss ideas.  When asked about how they could maintain such a close relationship, Scalia even responded with “What’s not to like? Except her views on the law.”  Even though likely meant as a clever quip, this quote beautifully summarizes what a productive personal and professional relationship should look like.

On the flip side of this, it was disappointing last year when Ellen DeGeneres was criticized for watching a football game with George Bush.  Yes, one is a liberal gay icon while the other was at one point literally the face of American conservatism, but so what?  Instead of disparaging DeGeneres as a “sellout” and other mean words, maybe people could see this as both hope and inspiration that people who have different ideas can indeed get along.