A great post and I think we think alike on so many of the points you raised
Totally agree more empathy is needed
The chasm is indeed very wide and sadly so many at either end of the spectrum are only willing to view things that agree with their opinion and are not open to read all sides of an issue
As for the talking down to people sadly I am seeing that almost being the norm especially online where I guess people feel as sense of anonymity
I will stop there