In case you missed all of the trailers, cross-promotional commercials and mountains of merchandise, a new “Star Wars” movie is upon us.

Now before you run away screaming, I want to promise two things; which are equally important depending on how you feel about the “Star Wars” universe.

First, I’m not giving away any spoilers, so fans who have not made it to the theater yet can proceed without fear. Second, no, I’m not going to just rant about how awesome the “weird space magic movie” is. I’ve actually got a point to make (or borrow from the film, really) and I think it’s a pretty good one.

Even if you aren’t too familiar with the “Star Wars” films, you likely have an understanding of the central theme that’s been driving the series for four decades. There are two sides, both convinced they are correct, locked in a constant struggle.

In that regard “Star Wars” isn’t really so different from any of the other great stories of our time; conflict is a driving force.

Some would argue you can’t tell a good story without conflict. Without it, there would only be peace, and peace doesn’t make $209 million on opening weekend.

My argument is that our love of conflict doesn’t have to stick with us after the credits roll, and one character in “The Last Jedi” makes a convincing argument as to how we can achieve that goal.

In an effort to avoid spoilers, I won’t attribute the quote or give context for its utterance. Thankfully, it’s a powerful enough sentiment to stand on its own two feet.

“That’s how we’re going to win. Not fighting what we hate. Saving what we love.”

This past year has been full of conflict. From the local level on up to a global scale, it seems like we can’t go a day without hearing about two groups arguing over matters both petty and significant.

Again, conflict beats at the heart of a good story, so of course we like to gobble that stuff up. The problem is that we then choose to join the fray, offering our own anger-filled actions to serve as arrows to be fired back at “the other side.”

Whether we’re talking about politics, monuments, taking a knee, terrorism or anything in between, we too readily jump to hatred; whether that be physical, verbal or emotional.

In short, we are too eager to fight what we hate rather than save what we love. We’d rather argue than offer support. We’re more likely to post zingers on Facebook than donate to a cause we believe in. If a building falls, we’d rather yell at the wind than pick up a brick and help rebuild. We look for weapons rather than shields, and it’s tearing us apart.

I’ll end with another “Star Wars” lesson and that is that, in all things, there must be balance. Power shifts, winners lose and those things which were once held to be correct are frequently proven to be the opposite.

It would be nice if we could strive for that balance rather than trying so desperately to be “right” for the briefest of moments.