DR. WALLACE: I made a new friend at work whose company I really enjoy. We recently began spending time together outside of work, and it has been great to have someone to hang out with, as I moved not too long ago and do not know many people in the local area.

Last week, however, I was out getting coffee with my friend, and the topic of politics came up for the first time. I was shocked to discover that her political views are totally different from mine, and for the majority of the conversation, I did not know what to say and felt very anxious.

I grew up in a small, homogenous community where almost everyone I knew held similar views. I've never made a friend whose political ideology is radically different from mine, and I'm not sure I really know how to approach this situation. I don't want to stop hanging out with my friend, but I'm worried that the subject of politics will come up again and will continue to make me uncomfortable. What should I do about this? — On different sides of the aisle, via email

ON DIFFERENT SIDES OF THE AISLE: Nothing must be done about this situation, and I find it rather sad that this is even a question. You and your friend have different political views; it is that simple. Yes, you can still be friends. Yes, you will probably find that you have many similarities in other areas. And yes, you can hold different perspectives and still engage in civil, respectful conversations about topics on which you disagree. In fact, you may even learn something from your friend that you never understood before by doing so.

It is not natural for everyone to think or believe the exact same thing in the exact same way; in fact, I would consider that to be terribly dangerous. Differences in opinion, experience, understanding, etc. are inevitable in a world of 7 billion people, and the variety that results is both healthy and advantageous for humanity.

I understand that growing up in a community where most people share similar ways of thinking can make this situation feel more daunting than it is, but at the same time, I also hope that it provides you with a greater sense of appreciation for the reality of life's diversity and complexity. No one falls perfectly on one side of the political aisle or another, and as a result, there are not just two different ways of viewing something, but multiple. Often, in that space of multiplicity, there are more similarities and commonalities to be found than most people realize.

WE EAT TOO MUCH UNHEALTHY FOOD!

DR. WALLACE: My parents are both very successful businesspeople and between the two of them they regularly work roughly 120 hours per week! They do find time to attend school functions and sporting events my siblings and I participate in, and they do take great care of us overall, but there is one exception. That exception is important to me because it involves our family meals.

My parents have what I believe is the bad habit of purchasing unhealthy fast food and bringing it home for our family dinner several nights a week. I know they don't always have a lot of time to prepare home-cooked meals, but I feel this alternative is really lacking.

I even suggested to them that they might hire a part-time cook to come in and prepare meals for a few nights a week, but my parents are crazy about the idea of having an outsider coming to our home regularly, especially since my youngest sibling is only 6 years old. Do you have any suggestions on what I might do to help improve the situation? I'm 17 and can handle light cooking responsibilities but I'm not yet confident in cooking an entire family meal regularly. — Want to stop the fast food, via email

WANT TO STOP THE FAST FOOD: Since your parents likely have enough discretionary income to allocate some resources toward your meals, but they're not interested in bringing in additional helpers, there may be another good opportunity that you could spearhead on behalf of your family.

Check with them to see if they would be open to receiving deliveries from some of the popular meal kit programs that now exist and are widely used. There are many companies, such as Green Chef, Freshly, HelloFresh, Home Chef and Blue Apron. Perhaps you could research all of the options and menus they offer and see if your parents would agree to consider one or more of these services occasionally. You could then help arrange and prepare these meals, which would accomplish your goal of more healthy family meals as well.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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