An American on #BrexitEve

When I started writing this post, it was "Brexit-Eve," the night before the UK officially leaves the European Union. The phrase was trending on social media, with everything from humorous parodies of Christmas Eve to heartfelt statements of both relief and anguish.

It reminded me of when we first arrived in London, just weeks before the October deadline, when everyone was talking about Brexit and everyone had a strong opinion. Then, when the deadline wasn't met and a general election was called, everyone kept talking about Brexit. Then the election happened. Some people I know mourned and some celebrated, but still, Brexit was a major topic of discussion.

And then...people stopped talking about it. Maybe it's the bubble I live in, but it feels as though for the last six weeks, everyone's moved on. The topic has come up here or there, but for the most part, I get the feeling everyone is sick and tired of this process and ready to be done with it.

That's changed over the past few days, and Brexit seems to be all over the place again. Today, I was biking near Westminster while running errands, and I came across street after street of people gathering for Brexit. I'd find a square full of British flags and and pro-Brexit signs:

A block later, I'd find other people waving the EU flag in front of cars like this one:

Some of the signs people carried were constructive, but a lot were destructive. On social media and in person, people have a lot of negative things to say about the other side, and it's sad to see. 

Even sadder is that this feels like the norm anymore, not just in the UK but in countries across the world, including my own. I'm no stranger to division and disunity, and sadly, I doubt any of you are either. But the thing is, I don't think we can continue like this. I don't want to continue like this; do you? 

Maybe the solution starts with politicians, but I don't think so. I think it starts with us. With each of us, every time we acknowledge not just that someone else has a right to an opinion but that they have a valid reason for feeling that way, every time we try to understand someone's point of view instead of just telling them they're wrong, every time we refrain from mudslinging and name-calling those we disagree with. If we start, they will follow.