"Common ground" may be increasingly difficult to find in a time when everything seems political. Instead, David Litt, a former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, suggests finding "neutral ground" with others – a place to spend time together focused on something other than our differences. Surfing, he found, is a good option.

David Litt, author and former speechwriter for President Obama, shares insights from his new book 'It's Only Drowning' about navigating personal and political differences. Litt recounts his relationship with his brother-in-law, a Joe Rogan fan, highlighting how their shared activity of surfing became a neutral space where their differing views did not hinder their connection.

Litt emphasizes that while common ground may be elusive, neutral ground allows for genuine friendship and open discussion, even on contentious issues. He encourages others to seek out such spaces and be open to learning from those with different perspectives, suggesting this approach is vital in a polarized society.

Former Obama speechwriter David Litt on finding neutral ground

Author David Litt, whose new book is called It's Only Drowning, knows plenty about the ways of Washington and the workings of human nature. He shares some thoughts. What happens when a former Obama speechwriter and a Joe Rogan superfan start surfing together? Well, if you're me, and the superfan is my brother-in-law Matt, what happens is this. You learn that in our divided country, common ground is even harder to find than you thought. But neutral ground is more important than you imagined. For a long time, Matt and I had basically nothing in common. He's an electrician who owns a pickup truck for work. I'm a writer who owns two computer monitors for work. He listens to death metal. I listen to Stephen Sondheim. Matt once threw out his back training to be a mixed martial arts fighter. And I once threw out my back picking up a bag of cat litter. But Matt's a surfer, and during the pandemic, I started surfing too. We began spending time together in the water, and even set our sights on a trip to Oahu's famously dangerous North Shore. I imagined that our journey would reveal the common ground you hear so much about these days. Nope. We still have basically nothing in common. We disagree about little stuff, like music and food. We disagree about big stuff, like voting and vaccines. But what we discovered is that our disagreements don't have to mean everything. The ocean became our neutral ground, a place where we could spend time together focused on something other than our differences. We learned from each other. We broadened each other's horizons. We became friends. And that friendship has led to real discussions, not just debates or arguments, on issues where we don't see eye to eye. That's more important than ever. As my old boss used to say, we have to be able to disagree without being disagreeable. So if there's someone in your life who you're afraid to talk with about political stuff — and these days, everything seems like political stuff — here's my advice. Find your neutral ground. Be open to unlikely friendships. Be willing to learn from someone, even if it's someone you don't fully understand. And also, if you're picking up a bag of cat litter, lift with your legs, not your back.

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Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

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London

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The U.S. House of Representatives approved a rescissions package to slash $9 billion in foreign aid and public broadcasting funding, sending the bill to President Donald Trump's desk.

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Tennessee

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Syria condemns Israel for fatal strikes on several government buildings in Damascus. The escalation threatens to disrupt new U.S.-brokered security talks between Israel and Syria, with both sides expressing concerns over stability in the region.

Breakdown