One of the harsh truths of life is that you say the harshest things to the ones you love the most.

The equation is a simple one: You care the most about what they think. Of all the people you know, you care most about what those you love think about you and about things, in general.

Consider how often those closest to you vent about people they know at work or casual friends. They rage on with plenty of thoughts and suggestions about what frustrates them or what could be done better. But how often do they share that feedback?

Yet, think about some of the raging arguments and harsh statements shared by married couples or long-time friends. It’s not uncommon for the volume to go up, the tensions to rise, and everyone to be on edge. People who love each other are willing to drop the filters and tell each other what they really think.

It seems counterintuitive, but often the more passionate the conversation is, the closer those two people probably are.

Imagine if we could have these kinds of conversations with anyone. Imagine of those people took these things in the spirit intended.

This is the path back to a free society in which we can say whatever we want to each other and still be friends at the end of the day.