But there are some strategies to begin repairing those relationships. The tragedy is to lose relationships with friends and family over politics that has divided us more deeply than at any other time in the last half-century. Those relationships can get pushed aside by a powerful new force in our lives during the wedge between us -- the internet. Step one in repairing those damaged relationships is remembering why we forged those bonds in the first place. “When we get curious, we can leave the contempt behind because that’s what we’re starting with,” Ulrich said.