The Divide

If there is anything that I have learned from this past week’s election is that there is a complacency with destruction. Yes. Destruction. We find it hard to express ourselves – good or bad – in a peaceful manner so we lash out and destroy. And anything that has been destroyed, has been broken into irreconcilable pieces – divided. How terrifying to see that we have managed to severely divide as a country in these past few months during a time when we need each other so much! Why? Why? Why, the divide?
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Is it that the rich don’t want the poor to come out of poverty? That’s a divide.
Is it that Muslims are violent, and Christians are not? That’s a divide.
Is it that immigrants take all of America’s resources? That’s a divide.
Is it that white people are superior to black people? That’s a divide.
Is it that women are too emotional to be leaders? That’s a divide.
Is it that the gays and lesbians lack morals and spread STDs? That’s a divide.
Is it that those with physical and mental disabilities are not capable of learning? That’s a divide.
Is it, that I can continue this division until I hit something that pertains to you? There are so many reasons and ways that I can divide America. So many factions. And it continues to keep us bound to these severed categories of discourse.  We are so focused on how we are so different that we never fully identify what unifies us. What about that list?

Love unifies. Peace unifies. Joy unifies. Kindness unifies. Patience unifies. Goodness unifies. And if we want to dig deeper, true freedom unifies. Everyone talks about freedom, but we are so divided, can we truly be free? My guess is not, seeing as though division causes fear, and there is no fear in love. And when there is no love, there is no unity. And when there is no unity, there is no peace. And when there is no peace, there is no joy. And where there is no joy, there is no light. And when there is no light, there is only darkness and we sink deeper into the divide.

It is high time we draw nearer to our liberty than to our self-identification and jointly rule with love of life, liberty, and justice for all. Have productive conversations. Seek to understand. Mend hurts. Forgive wrongs. Make amends. It has to be done. Because if we don’t, the divide will kill us all.

"Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all, By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall;
In so righteous a cause let us hope to succeed, For heaven approves of each generous deed.” ~ The Liberty Song, John Dickenson