Ours is a fractured world. Everyone has an opinion and everyone is willing to express it at top volume. Instant feedback yields not a reasonable discourse, but rather a calcification of beliefs.

This behavior is evident on all topics and at all levels. A silverback gorilla is killed by zookeepers trying to save a child and the abuse – of the child, the parents (mostly the mother), the zookeepers, even the gorilla – is rampant. Political divides deepen with every candidate speech. Certain topics – vaccinations, marriage equality, welfare, bathroom access, who will truly “make America great again” – are better left unmentioned in personal interactions with family and colleagues alike.

On a local level, the fine residents of Greater Boston have their own battles to fight – affordable housing, school lotteries, balancing open space with development and, of course, politics.

It’s easy to argue; it is so very difficult to find workable solutions and keep them working. But Sen. Daniel Wolf (D-Harwich) is trying. His zoning reform bill, 2144, is working its way through the Senate and may come to a vote as early as this week.

The hodgepodge of zoning regulations in towns and cities make building badly needed housing in the suburbs an exercise in frustration. Once 40B enters the conversation, forget it – all hope of reasonable discourse is lost. Senate Bill 2144, like many before it, seeks a zoning reform that requires all parties to sacrifice a little to gain a lot.

The cost of living in Massachusetts is out of control and the cost of housing has a lot to do with it. There are a lot a reasons why this is the case, and a lot of explanations as to how we got here, but no amount of complaining or arguing about them will help us move forward. The situation is growing desperate and must be addressed at all levels of government.

Pray our state’s Congress does not take its cues from our nation’s and that is it is capable of reasonable discourse. The bill is not perfect, but it is a start. It’s not the first zoning bill to be proposed; this conversation has been going on for decades and this is just the latest iteration. But it’s time to stop bemoaning and begin to act, and this is the proposal before us.

And at this point, sacrifices must be made. If all parties involved in the solution cannot come to the table with at least a little humility and willingness to give a little, this crisis will deepen and our state will suffer.

Calcified beliefs must be put aside if this bill – or any future zoning reform – is to succeed. The final version (should it pass) will not please everyone; such a thing is not possible. Frankly at this point we’ll take whatever we can get, and hope it’s not too little, too late.