Chris Duffy

We all want to know why.

But you're going to have to stick around until after the break to find out.

We've got more with Monica Guzman right after this.

We're talking about how to have better political conversations in divided times with journalist and author Monica Guzman.

Monica, thank you so much for being here.

And maybe let's get started by talking about how you got into this work.

Can you think of a particular conversation or people who you were trying to have conversations with who inspired you to start thinking about polarization and difficult conversations?

In your book, what comes across so clearly, and I think is relatable to so many people, certainly I relate to this, is this complex feeling of absolutely loving these people, caring about them so deeply, and being infuriated because it feels like you cannot understand where they're coming from.

It feels like a lot of us tend to just avoid these topics instead.

And I know I'm guilty of that.

So what would your pitch be for why we should actually have these difficult conversations?

It was very interesting to me in your book because you talk a lot about how difficult it is to maintain curiosity and how important that is.

Because when you start to actually talk to another person, it's easy.

And I think we all, I certainly fall into this, to want to just put them in this category, which is this idea I have in my head, which is predetermined.

And the more that we get curious about people's specific situations rather than the like blanket that we think maybe they should fall into, it's harder to actually pin people down in these simple ways that make it easier to feel like we're very, very different from them.

One of the big things in your book is you're actually not about convincing people of anything.

So how do I how do I not do that?

Because I get so in the mode of I am right.

And this is morally imperative to convince people.

So how do you get past that?