Trevor Noah and Tomi Lahren present a model for political discussion

Trevor Noah did what many have been suggesting the American public should do post-election. He brought opposing ideas to the fore in a no-holds-barred and honest conversation between a popular pundit from the opposite side of the political spectrum. Instead of a mocking monologue against Tomi Lahren, he gave us a fiery political debate full of substance.

What’s so amazing about the conversation facilitated on The Daily Show is that we rarely see discourse of the sort they participated in last night. The ideological bubbles we have trapped ourselves in—either via social media, the mainstream media, or actual friend groups—were destroyed by Trevor Noah and Tomi Lahren in an engaging 26 minute debate. The debate wasn’t a warm and fuzzy affair, almost immediately after Lahren was introduced Noah asked her “Why are you so angry?” And from there, they were off.

Both talk show hosts left ad hominem attacks at the door, respectfully engaging in discourse that was much more substantive than we see on a day-to-day basis. It was a conversation that promotes better understanding of how opposites think. A crucial ideal we’ve lost almost collectively is that the reason we argue is to come to a solution. And although there was no consensus met, because of the debate, I myself and others from both sides have begun to understand more about people not like ourselves. Isn’t that the main point of communication, and by extension debate?

Surely this will contribute to both talk show host’s success. Unlike for some celebrities, both deserve the success they receive from the conversation they facilitated for us. They deserve to be commended, regardless of political views.

What was noticeably absent, and what made the debate worthwhile to watch, was either person taking the moral high ground. Too many on both sides of my personal Facebook and Twitter feeds speak at issues as if their ideals are the end all be all of political thought. Some are even condescending towards people who actually want to understand where they’re coming from. Holier-than-thou attitudes between and especially within groups only push people further away from an idea they otherwise would’ve wanted to know more about, but were told in some way they would just never understand.

Many on both sides feel like they have a monopoly on the best policies and ideas to save all from the ills of the world. This is normal, it’s part of politics, the war of ideas. But at some point we all have to understand no one is perfect on these issues. The one thing in politics that will remain true is the one thing in life that will remain true: We all need each other, whether we like it or not.

We won’t agree on everything, but that is a fact of the matter, and it has become an inconvenient truth for too many. That inconvenient truth has begun to erode our democracy as our ability to reach out to people not like ourselves has broken down to the current state we see it now.

It’s easier said than done. Facts have been trumped by fake news, conspiracies, and hastily composed tweets by the powerful. But that must be our motivation to begin speaking to each other instead of having others dictate what is true. Effective discourse consists of many things including facts, patience, and respect—to name a few. That all doesn’t matter if we don’t begin to engage in real conversation in the first place with both the Tomi Lahrens or Trevor Noahs in our lives. Both of them showed us what the first step is to understanding—discourse.