Divided We Fall

But it's not too late to stop the descent...

Stop the hate, the division, the intolerance!

The vitriol on both sides of US politics is completely out of control.

If we don't stop what's happening, the assassination attempt on former President Trump on 13 Jul 24 will only accelerate the hate, violence, and lack of respect for our fellow humans across the country.

The current level of public rage and division is irrational. It lacks basis in, ignores, conflates, misrepresents, or exaggerates facts. It lacks integrity when discussing opposing views.

Both sides are guilty!

But most US citizens do not subscribe to either of the extremes that are perpetuated in much of the mainstream media and by certain hate-filled individuals on social media platforms.

That is not who we are, collectively, as a country.

Most of us love our country. We value our freedoms. We recognize the privileges we have living in the US versus so many other countries in world (and I've spent time in many of them).

Most of us are in the political middle.

We care about our personal safety, our ability to provide for our families, economic security, good healthcare, and basic freedoms, including freedom of speech. We value our ability to work hard striving for the American Dream and our ability to help our fellow humans in our own country and elsewhere.

We care about our national security, including a secure border. We value our ability to garner respect on the world stage (though that is sorely lacking right now, again, as someone who spent many years in other countries).

We're supposed to be a free country.

The First Amendment is first for a reason. Freedom of speech is the bedrock of a free society.

It means you and I both have the right to have and to share our own values and beliefs. We both have a right to speak our truths and to seek and participate in communities who share our views.

The beauty of America is that we have the right to disagree, to debate, to educate ourselves about the things we care about.

And we have a right to change our minds when presented with new information.

We have the right to peaceably assemble.

And so does the other side!

We need to relearn the art of negotiation and positive compromise to find a middle ground on the issues that are so important to all of us.

That includes, critically, taking time to really listen to and consider the perspectives, experiences, and concerns of everyone.

We do not live in a black-and-white world.

Everything is shades of gray, and those shades change when viewed in different lights.

There is room to meet in the middle.

We can support each other in the name of preserving our collective freedoms, protecting our great nation, and supporting our fellow humans. Including their right to have different beliefs, values, and opinions than ours.

Some of my best friends, as well as public figures I respect greatly, hold very different political, religious, and other stances than me across a broad range of issues. We come from many different backgrounds. I enjoy talking with them and listening to their views, their perspectives, and their unique experiences.

The people who don't agree with me are those with whom I’ve had the deepest and most thought-provoking conversations. I learn so much from those who experience and see the world differently than I.

I'm a better person for it.

If you and I disagree, it does not make you or me evil.

We are all human beings. We all strive to be happy, healthy, and successful - whatever that means to each of us.

We must stop fighting each other. Instead, let’s strive to better understand each other, even when we don’t see eye-to-eye.

We must respect our differences, and we must preserve our right to exist and express ourselves within those differences. All of us.

We are on the verge of losing everything that makes us what we are…

…and everything that makes us the country that people from all over the world come to every single day, in search of a better life.

We cannot control what others do or say, whether on "our side" or "their side." We do not need to follow the crowd, regardless of with which segments of society we are aligned.

We can choose better for ourselves and for our country. Every one of us can control our own actions, our own words, our own attitudes.

We can choose to be part of the solution, instead of adding fuel to the fire that is on track to ultimately destroy us all.

United we stand. Divided we fall.

It's time to unite under the umbrella of our shared humanity, so we can all move forward to a better future.

Together.

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels