Linda: Hi, my name is Linda. I'm 58 years old and I'm from Grand Rapids.
Ash: Hi, my name is Ash.I am 21 years old.I am from Brighton, Michigan, outside of Ann Arbor.I was raised in a two-parent home, mom and a dad, and I have a younger brother. He's about two years younger than me.I was raised very religious.My family is Lutheran, so I grew up very invested in the church. I played in the church band. I was a Sunday school teacher. I was an usher at church. So, it was a big part of my life. I grew up playing softball my whole life, very active. How about you? Where did you grow up? What did it look like?
Linda: I grew up in Westchester, Pennsylvania, which is a suburb of Philadelphia. Two-parent household. My mom was a schoolteacher, my sister and I were both adopted, and she stopped working. So, she raised us, and I grew up Lutheran as well. For me, it was Sunday school, church choir, that type of thing. As I grew up and became a teenager, I stopped, really stopped going to church. I moved to Michigan when I was 30.
Ash: Being so young, I feel like I'm just starting to kind of figure out different political values.I was raised in a very conservative family. But also, as I've explored my own identity, it's been really interesting to kind of figure out my own values. So would say I'm generally pretty moderate about most things. I definitely lean more typically left on environmental topics, topics relating to LGBTQ rights, kind of just like the general structure of our society.But I also am very open-minded and like I said, still trying to figure that out.
Linda: For being so young, you're getting it figured out. That's really cool. It's taken me a lifetime of I've always voted from the time my first election after turning 18. I've always voted because I think that's something as being a citizen of this country, it's a responsibility we all have to participate in this system. I've grown definitely more conservative over my lifetime, but I would say I'm more fiscally conservative. I'm definitely a moderate who leans left, but I lean left because of the social issues. I feel like we need to be responsible with our money, but I feel like those who can pay more should pay more. I feel like those who need the most help in our society, there should be help for them. I feel like everybody has rights and there is no one that is better than or more deserving than anyone else. So, I'm definitely left leaning in that way on the social issues and the environment. What are we going to do? I have three grandkids that I worry about the environment. What's going to happen when they're my age if we don't do something?
Ash: One of my core values, we all have common humanity. We're all humans and having one belief system doesn't make you better than another. And I think there are also a lot of variations within one group of belief systems, too.
Linda: I agree 100%. What is your first memory of politics?
Ash: My grandma is very invested in seeking out news sources that are very aligned with her beliefs. I remember going to my grandma's house every weekend and she would have on like Newsmax or Fox News and she would talk at the TV. She would yell at the TV like agreeing with the news that she was watching.And she just gets very worked up about it. anything politics related. So, those are some of my first memories of that. How about you?
Linda: My very first memory was standing in line on a very cold evening as a child waiting for my parents to vote. My mom would not let me in the voting booth with the curtain. And like they would not, my parents would not discuss politics with me. They would not tell me who they voted for or why.And as an adult looking back at that, I thought what a teaching opportunity that would have been for you to start a discussion with your child. That's my earliest memory.So, when I was raising my son, I just tried to have an open dialogue. You can choose your own personal beliefs. This is what I believe and why, but I think it needs to be discussed and talked about. It's not a secret or shouldn't be.
Ash: And I think starting that discussion at a young age and kind of just sparking that curiosity can definitely be really helpful for younger people. And as they grow up, they can kind of build on their values that they want to use to guide their political decisions.
Linda: You seem involved and hopeful. Can you tell me about someone who has been the kindest to you in your life?
Ash: The R.A. that I had my freshman year being at college. We ended up growing super close, becoming really good friends. We actually ended up dating. I just remember like when I first moved into my dorm, I had never felt so welcomed in my life. They were knocking on my door. Hey, I'm going to Zumba. You want to come to Zumba? And I've just, I've never known someone to be so welcoming and outgoing and inviting. And that was something so new to me and definitely made me feel a part of something right off the bat moving to college. And that was, that was really big.
Linda: That is big. That's huge.
Ash: Can you tell me about someone who has been the kindest to you in your life?
Linda: There have been people in my past when I was in my mid-twenties starting a new job, there was a lady who just kind of took me under her wing and was very kind to me and she would answer any question I had. I could feel that she truly cared about me and that same period in my life, there was an older gentleman at the same job. And throughout the years, I've wished that I had recognized their kindness more. But currently, my best friend is the kindest girl you'll ever, ever meet. And she's there for me for anything.
Ash: And how long have you known your best friend for?
Linda: For 14 years. We started out as work pals, and she's retired now. Lucky girl.But she's always just a call or drive away. Are you still friends with your R.A.?
Ash: Yeah, we're still friends. They actually moved to New Hampshire, but I'm flying out to see them.
Linda: Nice. Enjoy. Have you been to New Hampshire?
Ash: I actually went this summer to look at grad schools there, but I was there for a day and a half. So.
Linda: I've not been any further than Massachusetts. Boston is the furthest north on the East Coast that I've been. So, enjoy. How would you like to be remembered?
Ash: Kind of like you were saying about the one coworker that you had. I just hope for people to look back on their experiences with me and be able to say the same thing where they were like, she was really nice or welcoming. I hope I'm remembered as someone who radiates compassion. I really do try to be a caring presence in everyone's life. How would you like to be remembered?
Linda: I want to be remembered as a kind person. And I feel like I am. I just think it's so important. If I'm in the store in someone's shirt catches my eye, I tell them that shirt looks great or I love your hairstyle, those earrings are great because I think everybody needs that little bit of positivity in their day.
Ash: That's one thing that I almost have to like remind myself to do because I get like tunnel vision and I get stuck in like my own little bubble but I've been trying to remind myself.
Linda: Your generation gives me hope for the future. I think younger generations need to care and hopefully get involved. Your generation gives me hope for our future. I see more involvement and less pessimism. And a lot of people your age, certainly in you, you do radiate hope and kindness.
Ash: I think seeing really passionate people in healthcare and like the level of care that they provide for others gives me a lot of hope for the future because I think like that is something that our society really struggles with is general health and well-being.And so, I think the better care that we can provide in healthcare, the better our society is as a whole. So that definitely gives me a lot of hope.
Linda: What is something that you'll take with you from this experience?
Ash: It was just so cool. There were still so many common grounds that we were able to find a lot of like similar values. That was really nice. And I think I'll definitely carry that with me for sure. That general principle of respect, like I just really liked how we kind of kept coming back to that. Just having respect for everyone.
Linda: I just did not expect you to be a 21-year-old girl. So that surprised me. But it was a great surprise. We're coming at life from such a different place, but we do share a lot of values and we did find similarities in a lot of what we discussed today. I'm just so grateful to have been given the opportunity to have this conversation with you and I'll definitely take this good, happy feeling away from this.
Ash: Yes, me too. I feel the same way.