The people that live in the United States are divided, and it seems to be getting more so every passing day. It’s as if we are moving towards a real-life version of Divergent, and you are choosing which faction to join.
While it’s evident that none of us were around prior and during the American Revolution, that policy in the politics in the U.S. have migrated from selfless to selfish. It has migrated from focusing on the collective (while still being a Republic and not condemning the individual) to concentrating on the individual (while condemning both the collective and the individual).
Let’s take the time machine to a not too far distant past…
Morality has shifted and will continue to change with each generation that is born. In some forms, gladiators were slaves that battled one another for the entertainment of people, fast forward, the use of humans to fight one-another stopped (e.g., unless you consider modern day sports a part of this paradigm); however, it transitioned into dog-fighting, cock-fighting, etc. We say the fighting of gladiators is immoral today, as well as dog and cockfighting, at least in some parts of the world.
Let’s jump to the last few generations…
Depending on your age, it was only 1, 2, or 3 generations ago that it was the norm for women to be housewives. The pinnacle of a woman’s life very well may have been to have a pretty home and a family. This mentality was propped up, taught, and supported by society. That’s a far cry to what we see today – and for a good reason.
Now, the last decade…
Globalization was a huge topic in the 1990s and early 2000s, and with the continued advancement of technology, the world has become very much smaller. We no longer have to wait until the evening news to discover what is going on in the world. The power to know what is happening is in your pocket as is your megaphone that enables anyone in the world that is connected to hear your voice. In some aspects, it was too much technology, too fast. It’s far from knowing what impacts this is going to have upon the global society.
Today, the news is entertainment, and it’s curated to appeal to your faction. The media is now telling you how and want to think; critical thinking and debate have left the building, and people are getting even more entrenched in their beliefs.
How do we heal this divide?
We live in an era where to debate is stifled. It’s not safe to share what you believe without facing ridicule, versus having a spirited discussion where people can still be friends afterward. It’s as if people are moving inward and not reaching out to one another to form the bonds of community. It’s these bonds that make a community and make a community stronger. Think about any relationship that you have been in; it’s when you open up, share, be vulnerable, that it strengthens that relationship. You can also look at it as the Japanese do, kintsukuroi. The act of mending an object and bring it back together.
Until we as a country (dare I say world?) can have these type of discussions without the threat of violence, the downward spiral will only continue.
What can you do today?
A facet of our mission is to bring our community together. To look at our differences, not as handicaps, however, see the strengths that they are. Are we perfect? By no means. It’s this golden journey that we are on that we hope to make a difference, in ourselves, in each other, in our community, and the world. Visit our Get Involved page to learn more.
