You need a license to drive, not a license to walk. And plenty of people get hit by cars while walking down the sidewalk; or crossing when they get a walk sign. There are also people who can't move our of the way of a car quickly who also deserve to move around without being run over. It's a choice we've made as a society to allow cars to go faster at the expense of pedestrian lives.

You have to change the system first. You need to live in reality. Work at the local and state level to get ranked choice voting implemented, but that's the work that has to be done. You're saying what I think is false, but it is objectively true under the CURRENT first past the post system.

I'm sure it will happen next election, that time for sure we'll convince people to vote 3rd party! You got this!

Who said anything about talking to other people? I talk to plenty of people I disagree with politically, and you're right that most people are closer than it seems. But it's the prisoner's dilemma, the best choice for society, which is everyone voting their conscience and moderate candidates usually winning, is not the optimal choice for an individual deciding who to vote for in a first past the post system. As a progressive leaning person I would never vote for a 3rd party candidate who aligns perfectly with my values, because the real choice is between a Democrat and a Republican, and Democrats more closely align with my values. If I was a libertarian leaning Republican, I would vote for the Republican all day over a libertarian. This is the system we have, and it should be changed, but as it stands you are making the rational choice when you vote for a major party candidate if your goal is to have politicians who more closely align with your values.

Until we have ranked choice voting a 3rd party vote is a waste, and just allows "the other team" to win more easily.