I watched Band of Brothers recently, and there’s a quote that hit me like a ton of bricks:

“Blithe, the only hope you have is to accept the fact that you’re already dead. And the sooner you accept that, the sooner you’ll be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function — without mercy, without compassion, without remorse. All war depends upon it.”

We’ve let that mindset creep into how we treat and talk to each other.
Hate and blame are easy.

Melissa and Mark Hortman were recently shot and killed here in Minnesota.
John and Yvette Hoffman survived.
The shootings were politically motivated. Melissa and John were state legislators.

The aftermath hit me hard.

Social media became a battlefield.
Each side shouting: “He’s a crazy rightie!” “He’s a crazy lefty!”
No mercy. No compassion. No remorse.
A war of words and blame that says, “It’s not my fault.”

We’re acting like soldiers—
Like enemies. Not humans. Not neighbors.

Changing that pattern takes real courage.
The courage to talk with each other, not at each other.
To challenge others when they fail to see people as human.
To have conversations that connect and heal—not divide and objectify.

Have a conversation. Even if you don’t see eye to eye.
Be kind.

We can all agree: what happened to the Hortmans and Hoffmans is not okay.