America has become accustomed to talking about what divides us. We debate taxes and tariffs, immigration and education, healthcare and climate change. Cable television reminds us what separates us. Social media rewards us for disagreeing more loudly than yesterday. Yet, beneath those disagreements lies something quietly remarkable.

Some experiences strip away nearly every political label we wear. One begins with a phone call in the middle of the night: A husband develops crushing chest pain, a daughter is rushed to an emergency department after a car crash, or a mother hears the word every family fears: cancer. In those moments, yesterday’s arguments suddenly become distant.