Our entire world is in flux right now, and the future is anything but certain. It feels big and overwhelming, but there is one thing we can count on if we’re willing to put forth the effort, and that is each other.

The bike industry will continue to ebb and flow. Poor decisions will continue to be made that cost others their jobs, budgets, and sponsorships. And it will continue to happen in ways that will leave us with so many more questions than answers. More broadly, politicians and a constantly shifting media landscape will continue to try to divide us for personal gain. Here in the U.S., some freedoms and human rights granted under our Constitution are being systematically ripped from our hands. As I speak, the rich get richer at our expense, and the semblance of normal we once had is fading away like a lucid dream. Often, it seems that these manufactured divisions are purpose-built to break us down into conformity.

But after we’re shaken awake into whatever new reality arises, we will find that there is something that cannot be taken away from us. This secret sauce is what we should lean into with all our being.

Of course, I’m speaking about our connection to each other as people. We are innately communal animals. We cannot survive alone. As a species our minds thrive off engagement and connection, and we’re specially evolved to comprehend perspectives beyond our own individual realities. To think we’ve adapted over thousands of years to become the brilliantly empathetic and globally connected species we are now, only to fail ourselves by forgetting past mistakes and losing touch of our full humanity, is unthinkable. It’s our diversity, our empathy, and our ever-expanding minds that have enabled us to flourish. However unfortunate it is, not everyone sees this miracle of human capability. We have to fight back. Our future depends on it. Here’s how we do it.

I have a friend named Colton who exemplifies how we should all strive to treat each other. We met while snowboarding in Utah through mutual friends. He’s someone I’ve known for a long time, going on 12 years now. I introduced him to his wife. Our friendship has withstood the test of time. Even through my gender transition, he has never wavered. I have several friends who stuck with me through my transition and beyond—I love them all dearly—but I bring Colton up specifically because his background did not set him up to stay in my court.