Division vs Unity

There is value to both. Division helps us see reality with clarity. Confusing at first, maybe, but differences exist in most lives, thoughts, impressions, and understanding. Reality is made up of many things, each of those things weighing differently for each of us. There is no mystery why we see things differently than other people. It is a reality of life.

Just like change. It is a reality as well. The Grand Canyon was not made instantly; it took eons to become what it is today. Although the process is slow, even today’s Grand Canyon is different from the one I first enjoyed 70 years ago or more. Change is that slow in some settings. In others, change is fast, even breathtaking.

Differentness should be expected. When we take the time to see it, we need to appreciate it as well. The push and pull of difference help us better understand our surroundings. From that we find possibility. Potential for an emerging good? Or another problem to manage? At the very least – or most? – differences enrich our lives. What a bland world it would be if everything were the same.

Unity is another dynamic element of life. With unity we can work together smoothly to accomplish common goals. Little wasted effort comes from unity. We are pulling in the same direction. We develop aid for each other to ease the journey. We arrive at a destination earlier and in fresher shape. Unity expands our joint energy.

The New World was not a place of unity. This new America was a hodgepodge of languages, dialects, nationalities and religious beliefs. Histories of cultures were different. Some were even enemies of one another in the old country. Over time, settlers formed regions, territories and states. they were clearly different from other states. the long process of nation building in North America eventually produced a population yearning for something larger through joint effort. They had to paper over their differences so they could work together.

They became the United States of America. A long, hard-won fight produced the USA. That fight continues. The pace of change has distorted our sense of history about our differences. However, those differences have always been there. Oh, they have changed their shape, dimension and value over time, too, but the differences were still there.

Our plight today in the American experiment of democracy, is not in our differences, but rather in our yearning for future. What is that yearning? What is the imagined future? How do we define that quintessential element so we can clearly discern our support for or resistance of it? That is the question we should be asking ourselves. Who do we want to be in the future? What do we want to be known for?

Surely, we do not wish for violence, civil war or hostile religions.

Or do we?

February 8, 2022

 

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