The partisan divide in our country is so visible when you take a look at how Congress is seated. Just observe any moment of applause during the State of the Union Address last week. Half the room would be standing up and applauding, while the other half would remain seated.

This sort of seating (which also happens in normal legislative sessions) enforces divide, rather than encouraging conversation and civil debate. By having physical segregation between people of differing party affiliations, you enforce an “us-versus-them” attitude commonly seen in how high school students immediately seat themselves with their friends during class. This also leads to pressure from the in-group. For example, during the State of the Union Address, I found it fascinating to see the occasional Democrat stand up to applaud, only to notice that their Democratic peers were still sitting, and then immediately sit down. It’s the same impulse that teens have when they go along with their friends just to please them and fit in.

Members of Congress shouldn’t have to “cross the aisle” to engage in bipartisan dialogue. They should be already seated with their political opposites, conversing with them daily. They should stop separating themselves into “Democratic” or “Republican” friend groups. There’s no law that mandates that. For the sake of America, let’s act like adults and sit with people we don’t like.