Local opinion: Embracing discomfort for progress

There's a core truth at the heart of the American journey: this nation has always moved forward not in times of ease but through moments of challenge, discomfort, and the courage to keep going even when the way forward seems uncertain. Today, we find ourselves in one of those moments. We feel the pull of familiar divides, and the weight of some difficult truths about the road ahead. But it's precisely this discomfort that tells us something vital — that progress is possible, and that we're on the edge of something important, something worth reaching for.

Now, our history is rich with the idea that America's greatness doesn't come from any one era or one leader, but from our shared commitment to becoming "a more perfect union." That's what the founders had in mind. They weren't aiming for a flawless nation — they knew they hadn't achieved it. Instead, they set us on a path, one that calls each generation to keep pushing, keep improving, keep creating an America that brings us closer to our highest ideals.

This path hasn't always been smooth. It's been built through moments of real tension and tough disagreement. Think about the Civil Rights Movement. We had hard conversations and confronted painful realities. Yet, out of that discomfort came the strength to write laws that transformed our society and brought us closer to the ideals of equality and justice. And long before that, women fought to have their voices heard in a democracy that wasn't built with them in mind. They pushed through resistance, through frustration, and they won the right to vote. They proved, once again, that America grows strongest not by avoiding struggle, but by engaging it head-on.

That's what we need today. To see our disagreements not as signs of division but as opportunities to learn and grow. In a democracy as diverse and complex as ours, we're never going to agree on everything. But we can commit to hearing each other out, not to win a debate, but to understand — because it's only through listening that we can bridge the gaps that separate us.

As we face difficult times, we're going to be challenged in ways we haven't been before. But discomfort is part of the process. It's what pushes us forward. When we step out of the familiar, when we choose to engage with people who think differently from us, that's where growth happens. That's where new ideas and solutions come to light.

Each of us has a role to play in this moment. Our voices matter, our actions matter, and our votes matter. Democracy isn't a spectator sport; it's built by the people who show up. So when decisions don't go the way we'd hoped, or when the issues that matter to us feel overlooked, that's our cue to get involved — not with division, but with purpose. We have more ways than ever to make our voices heard, whether it's on social media, through letters to our representatives, through peaceful protest, or by stepping up to serve in office. Our democracy is stronger when each of us claims our seat at the table.

Let's keep pressing forward with hope, with resilience, and with a vision of the America we want to leave to those who come after us. This country is not great because it's always been easy, or because we've never stumbled. It's great because we're always willing to try again. Each generation finds a way to rise up, to make things a little better than they were before. And that's what we'll do now.

Rob Elias is the President/CEO of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.