When you talk to the butcher once every couple weeks, and enjoy the interaction every time and think “that person is all right”, you have a solid foundation for empathy and understanding. One week you pull up to the butcher shop and see them get out of their car and it has a political bumper sticker different than yours. Instead of thinking “that person is other, an abstract concept that I am supposed to fight against” you might say to yourself “huh didn’t expect joe to be a ___”. But you most likely don’t start disliking joe.

Obviously there are many other benefits of regular friendly small interactions with people, but this one has stood out in my mind over the last couple polarizing years.