There is an enormous divide in the United States right now. It’s intentional, which you’re going to find more thoughts about in future articles, but for now it might help you to know that I believe it is intentional.
Foundational to the divide, is the human impulse to form “tribes”. We want to be with other people with whom we can relate. That like-mindedness strengthens, underscores and confirms what we’ve decided to believe. This impulse isn’t wrong, but it’s definitely a facet of human behavior that can be exploited – a fact we would all do well to remember, no matter what part of the current conversations we most agree with.
If you’re part of a tribe – us, then, by definition there have to be those not of our tribe – others.
The “others” aren’t so much wrong – but they’re probably not very bright and we often feel free to belittle unintelligent people. I believe that even as recently as 20 years ago, in many ways, adherents to the basic world views actually were able to get along fairly reasonably, because we all still basically also adhered to a certain level of civility.
We really don’t do that any longer, and if you’re talking politics, people are encouraged by leaders to do the exact opposite – we’re to stand on either side of an ever-widening street – hurling insults, invective, talking points, “facts”, accusations and derision at one another.
That is how leadership gains power over those following them – followers become so deeply entrenched in their point of view, that they have no place else to go. The middle ground – that place where thoughtful, intelligent, kind, understanding, compassionate people could once stand has been yanked away. That is what we have to begin taking back.
