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Folks on 'left' and 'right' share one thing they respect about one another. It's giving hope.

As one person wrote, "This is the most mature comment section I’ve seen."

Courtesy of Ashley Rankin @gynaminte_/TikTok

Looking at the positives of the other side makes it a lot harder to hate.

The United States feels on edge right now, with passions running high and partisanized rhetoric ramping up in the days following Charlie Kirk's assassination in Utah. For non-extremists, it's disheartening to see people on both "the left" and "the right" being painted in sweeping brush strokes filled with vitriol.

Most of us don't live like this in our everyday lives. Most of us don't live at extremes and are capable of nuanced thought. We acknowledge that the world's problems are complex and know that we aren't always going to agree on every solution. While we may disagree, sometimes vehemently, we don't paint half of our fellow Americans as the enemy.

america, united states, polarization, political division, partisanship Political polarization is out of control. It doesn't have to be this way. Photo credit: Canva

A woman in Utah, Ashley Rankin, was feeling overwhelmed and confused about the state of the country when she decided to make a video plea for compassion and understanding. "While recording, I zoned out for a second and my face perfectly captured how I felt in that moment," she tells Upworthy. "I dropped the words and thought, rather than telling people to spread love, hope, and compassion, I want to see what they will do, when presented with the opportunity."

So she overlayed her few-second video with "If you lean left, tell me something you respect about the right. If you lean right, tell me something you respect about the left," adding, "Let's spread hope." She asked viewers to fill her comments with positivity, and in a miraculous flip of the script we so often see online, people delivered exactly what she asked for.

@gynamite_

Please fill my comments with positivity! I live in Utah and things feel heavy here. #bridgingthedivide #HopeInHumanity #BetterTogether #UtahCommunity #positive

The comments filled up with people leaning one way or the other—sometimes even pretty far to the left or right—expressing their respect and admiration for various characteristics and beliefs of the "other side." It's truly a beautiful outpouring that demonstrates how much closer we are than we think:

"I am conservative, but I appreciate the left's fight for free lunches and universal healthcare. I don't believe anyone should starve or be denied medical care because they can't afford it."

"Left here: I respect how the right heavily advocates for the farm and rural communities. We really do need to send more resources out to them and respect our farmers more."

"Lean right - love the passion of the left and how they always want to speak up for the smallest person in the room."

"Straight blue voter here. I do appreciate the conservative principle of fiscal responsibility for the govt. We may disagree how our tax dollars are spent, but I don’t disagree that govt is wasteful."

Season 19 Episode 10 GIF by The Simpsons Giphy

"More conservative, but I love how the left advocates for preserving our earth, mental health, and resources for those who NEED them."

"As a Democrat I appreciate republicans patriotism and love for country and support for our troops and veterans. I just wish their representatives would vote to support those things that most of their constituents want to support."

"I’m more right than left, but I respect the left for their belief that you don’t have to be a traditional family to have family values. I actually agree with that."

"Leftist here 🤘🏼 I live in a deeply conservative, rural area. Whenever I’m in need, there’s help. Fresh baked bread randomly, the mechanic giving me free advice/discounts, fresh farm eggs cheaper than the store🥹"

"I’m mostly conservative. I appreciated the level of anger and ongoing fight regarding the undoing of roe v wade."

"Extremely left here, I appreciate how fiercely the right stands up for the working people; farmers, etc. I also am with them on getting violent criminals off the streets."

farmer, conservatives, liberals, right and left, politics People on the right tend to support rural life.Photo credit: Canva

"I’m conservative. I do truly respect that the people on the left wanting gun control have good hearts and genuinely want the gun violence to end."

"Dear Left-leaning people, Thank you for your fight for immigration rights. I may not 100% agree with how we get there, but, everyone deserves the right to come into the country and to have a chance for a better life."

"By far the BEST comment section I've ever seen. I lean left heavily but I've always admired how persistent Republicans are at pushing legislation and the change they want to see."

Perhaps surprisingly, perhaps not, there was a ton of love for John McCain and Barack Obama coming from opposite sides of the aisle in the comments.

"My family was always conservative, but everyone voted for Obama twice. Sometimes we have to accept that labels are for soup cans and vote for the person better qualified to lead."

"I’m a lifelong Democrat. I really loved John McCain! I thought he was such a well-rounded example of a true American patriot!"

"I lean more right, but Obama was the last president I felt like we all respected."

"I don’t 'lean' left: I am left. However, I think John McCain also conducted himself with so much integrity. I think he tried to do a good job and actually cared about the people in this country."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"I am very Liberal and Canadian BUT when John McCain defended Obama against Muslim/ Arab attacks at his town halls…. I literally cried."

"I lean right, but I think the last time we had any dignity in politics, and I felt secure as a nation was when President Obama was in office. I think he’s an incredible leader, and he was the last time I trusted the person in power."

"I respect how John McCain stood up for Obama at one of his rallies and how he silenced the boos during his concession speech. Truly miss that kind of politics. Where we could disagree on issues but didn’t tear other down."

Mostly, though, people were just relieved and delighted to see how genuinely kind and heartfelt the comments were.

"This comment section glued a tiny piece of my heart back together."

"These comments are not what I expected to see. It gives me hope that we are not as divided as politicians and media wants us to believe."

"Reading all these comments makes me realize that we should be fighting extremists (both left and right) instead of each other."

"This is the most mature comment section I’ve seen. This is the dialogue I want to see. It’s easy to speak to each other when we do it in a respectful way rather than resorting to name-calling and oppressing others."

We really do have more in common than the online discourse and political rhetoric from many politicians would have us believe. Social media algorithms may reward extremism, but videos like this and the responses they're receiving are far more indicative of the reality most of us live in. Rankin's video has accumulated over 10,000 comments and they are overwhelmingly positive.

"I posted the short video hoping a few people would have genuine and respectful words, but was not expecting much," Rankin says. "I had NO idea the impact it would have on me and so many others. The comments were exactly what my weary heart needed. I'm finally proud to be an American again."

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How John McCain's Great Barrier Reef comments could change hearts and minds.

“I think climate change is real,” John McCain said.

Sen. John McCain at the United States Studies Centre in Sydney. Photo by Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images.

On May 30, the 80-year-old Republican senator visited the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, Australia. While there, he spoke at length about many issues, including Russia and recent White House scandals. He took time to speak about climate change as well, The Guardian reported.

"I think that one of the great tragedies of our lives is that the Great Barrier Reef is dying [and] the environmental consequences of that," McCain said. He voiced his support for the U.S. staying in the 2015 Paris climate agreement to try to mitigate climate change.

"If we don't address this issue, I am very much afraid about what the world is going to look like for our children and grandchildren."

McCain's comments are more important now than ever — the reef is not doing well.

The Great Barrier Reef stretches for more than 1,200 miles. Coral bleaching caused largely by climate change has damaged 91% of it since 1998. Image from Ho/AFP/Getty Images

On May 24, The Guardian reported that experts told Australian governments they may need to revise their plans for the reef. It is no longer feasible, they said, to stick to the Reef 2050 Long Term Sustainability Plan's goals to improve the reef's overall health. Instead, the government should focus on just maintaining its "ecological function."

Coral reefs around the world are under stress from a number of factors, such as overfishing and bleaching caused by climate change.

We need voices on both sides of the aisle talking about not just the reef, but our planet's future.

A safe, clean, and stable environment is not a partisan issue. It's something we all want, and the concern over climate change in the U.S. is at a three-decade high.

That's why it can be frustrating to see the government come to loggerheads over and over again — and why McCain's words are important. As Vox's David Roberts wrote, the most important factor in building bipartisan support isn't clever arguments — it's outspoken leaders. McCain hasn't always been an environmental lion (he recently voted to repeal a stream protection rule, for instance), but those simple words — "I think climate change is real" — matter.

There are many more conservative voices — such as Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Florida) — who are also speaking.

Curbelo represents Florida's 26th district, which sits at the state's southern tip and includes part of America's own barrier reef, which, unfortunately, has also been taking a few hits lately.

When leaders speak up, people listen.

We need immediate, bipartisan action if we're going to head off the worst effects of climate change. Hopefully, more leaders will come forward and take a stand.

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5 messages from losing candidates to look for in tonight's concession speech.

Win or lose, the candidates have an important job on Tuesday night.

It's going to take a lot of work to mend the divides our country will face after the 2016 election. Historically, it's been the role of the losing candidate to offer that first spark of hope during their concession speech.

You don't have to look any further than the past few decades of concession speeches given by losing candidates, messages they'd rather not have had to share, before it becomes clear how important the humbling act of placing the good of the country above one's own ego is for the post-election healing process.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney concedes in Boston in 2012. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.

"The nation, as you know, is at a critical point," 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney said in a speech conceding defeat to President Obama. "At a time like this, we can’t risk partisan bickering and political posturing. Our leaders have to reach across the aisle to do the people’s work.”

Good concession speeches find a way to express the disappointment of losing an election along with a call to action and a pledge to lead by example moving forward.

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.

Four years prior, Sen. John McCain offered his own heartfelt election night message.

"Sen. Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed," McCain said in 2008. "No doubt many of those differences remain. These are difficult times for our country, and I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.”

Those words — "No doubt many of those differences remain" — are key. An election cannot and will not wipe away differences; it can only help guide us in how we work to resolve them. After all, McCain and Obama had the same goal: to make America the best it could be. They just differed on how to accomplish that.

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images.

“I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our goodwill and earnest effort to find ways to come together," McCain urged his supporters, "to find the necessary compromises, to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited."

Democratic nominee John Kerry also made American unity a central point in his 2004 speech congratulating President George W. Bush on his re-election.

"Today I hope that we can begin the healing," said Kerry. "But in an American election, there are no losers. Because whether or not our candidates are successful, the next morning, we all wake up as Americans. And that — that is the greatest privilege and the most remarkable good fortune that can come to us on earth."

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

“With that gift also comes obligation. We are required now to work together for the good of our country," Kerry said. "In the days ahead, we must find common cause. We must join in common effort without remorse or recrimination, without anger or rancor. America is in need of unity and longing for a larger measure of compassion.”

“This is America. Just as we fight hard when the stakes are high, we close ranks and come together when the contest is done," Vice President Al Gore said in his concession speech after a highly controversial election.

The election of 2000 will remain one of the most controversial moments in our country's young history, with the Supreme Court issuing a ruling that effectively declared George W. Bush president amid a recount in Florida. Though he strongly disagreed with the Supreme Court's decision, Gore conceded with a speech intended to urge the country into unity behind President-elect Bush.

On December 13, 2000, Al Gore conceded the race to Texas Governor George W. Bush. Photo by Luke Frazza/AFP/Getty Images.

"[While] there will be time enough to debate our continuing differences, now is the time to recognize that that which unites us is greater than that which divides us," Gore reminded his supporters. "While we yet hold and do not yield our opposing beliefs, there is a higher duty than the one we owe to political party. This is America and we put country before party; we will stand together behind our new president.”

We may disagree, and we may at times consider ourselves opponents. What we must never do, however, is consider ourselves enemies of one another. From Mondale to Dukakis to Carter to Ford to George H.W. Bush, history is filled with truly great, healing speeches delivered by the losing candidates at the end of an election.

The most notable concession message, however, may have come from Sen. Bob Dole in his 1996 loss to President Bill Clinton.

Photo by J. David Ake/AFP/Getty Images.

After telling the crowd he had congratulated Clinton on being re-elected, Dole was met with loud boos. That's when he delivered a line that remains as important today as it was 20 years ago.

"No, wait a minute. Wait a minute," Dole said, trying to regain the crowd's attention. "No, I've said repeatedly — I've said repeatedly in this campaign that the president was my opponent and not my enemy. And I wish him well and I pledge my support in whatever advances the cause of a better America because that's what the race was about in the first place — a better America as we go into the next century."

As we close the book on the election of 2016, let's remember that while differences exist, we are neighbors and not enemies.

Whether a Tuesday night speech from one of the candidates helps prompt the healing process or the losing candidate deviates from this important historical tradition, it's on us to come together, to work together, and to be Americans together. There's a reason concession speeches have shared common themes election after election: because the message remains true, even as our country is forever changing.

On Wednesday morning, the world will still be here. Let's do what we can to help make that existence one we can all live with.

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

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What politicians going positive teaches us about human motivation.

Remember back in 2008 when Obama said he disagreed with John McCain, but would always honor his military service?

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images.

That feeling of niceness was great ... but it seems to be short-lived in political campaigns. The closer it gets to Election Day, the meaner the candidates seem to get, especially when it comes to each other.

We know that mean language weakens people's faith in the system, which isn't great.

Previous studies have shown that going negative can also be dangerous for the candidates themselves. When you start slinging mud at your opponents, you might get splashed yourself.

But what would happen if, instead of criticizing your opponent, you complimented them?

Professor Nicoletta Cavazza at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy wanted to find out. To do this, the researchers asked 90 students to sit down and read fake political speeches. Some of the speeches had the typical mostly-negative political cadence you'd expect.

But half were tweaked to include a compliment toward the opposition. For example: "I believe that my competitor, who is an upright and smart person, will agree with me about the need to change this situation."

What did Cavazza find? In the end, the students rated the complimentary politician as being more trustworthy overall.

Unfortunately, we're not likely to see Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump getting all buddy-buddy.

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

But this research does show us something interesting about our brains.

Cavazza cautioned that the study did have limitations, such as the fact that the politicians were made up, which might limit how much we can apply this to real politics just yet. More research will need to be done to tease out more nuance in their findings as well.

But the study does teach us that we tend to trust people more if it looks like they're going against their own best interests and acting in someone else's best interest instead.

In the case of politics, this can look like being nice to your competition.

But in real life, it can also look like helping someone out randomly. Imagine going to a car mechanic for repair. Maybe there's been a weird thump when it turns on or a little jingle-jangle noise when you go over 40 miles an hour. You leave the car with them for a few hours and when you get back, they've not only fixed the problem but also changed your oil for free!

What a standup bloke. You'd trust him with your car next time, right?

One of the most interesting things about politics is how it lets us see human nature played out on a national stage.

Next time I watch politics, I'll keep an eye out for any flattery because it could be the trick to winning ... although this year, I may have to wait until after Nov. 8 for that.

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