At a recent get-together with friends and acquaintances the after-dinner conversation brushed up against U.S. politics. Someone (probably me), immediately said, “Don’t Go There.” Everybody nodded their heads in agreement. We weren’t worried there would be heated arguments, we were a like-minded group. It’s just that once that topic is out of the bag, it takes over.

In that moment, our small group cast about for other topics to avoid “Going There.” But then my friend spoke up, “I think we should go there.” All heads rotated to her side of the room. She continued, “It’s important that we air these feelings, opinions, and grievances together. In community, with support. Instead of us each processing these atrocities alone.”

Huh. So by allowing the conversation “To Go There” means we could indulge ourselves inside those opinions, give air to our grievances, engage in the outrage–and feel supported? Huh.

That particular evening, the conversation stayed in the safe zone. We did not “Go There.” But my friend’s point stayed with me.

I was with my sister and her American-born friend the next time the “Do Not Go There” subject came up. And we went there. Boy, did we. It was cathartic. All three of us live alone so no one but our phones, computers and others screens get to hear our curses, our frustrations and downright disbelief. “Going There” with two other women who experience the news with the same gobsmacked flabbergastedness as I do was downright therapeutic.

My American-born friend has struggled to accept the beliefs of close family and friends who are not like-minded. For her, and many, many others, there is a cost to discussing these topics. The middle ground has been lost; it’s now a chasm. The old saying “agree to disagree” no longer applies. It hurts watching her go through this; in fact it hurts watching the entire U.S go through this.

The world is still a mess and it’s ten times messier now that more war has been started. My friend who encouraged us to “Go There” was right; to indulge in those discussions and air grievances in community has a purpose–not to argue or debate, but to share the ongoing anxieties, give support, and find some hope.

On a broader note, yesterday, March 28, 2026 was the largest No Kings event yet in the U.S. Millions of Americans “Went There.” I will quote a line from a protester, “It is pure joy to meet the people who want to stand out.”

Keep your joy.

Posted every Sunday, unless it’s a holiday or summertime.

Contentment is for Cows: Short and sweet reflections on life’s complications.