Unity vs division: the true story
All over this country, and all over this world, this story is repeated: families, neighbors, friends, and strangers uniting in loving support of one another.
Dear friends:
The day this posts will be the twenty-first anniversary of a series of violent attacks on the United States: the World Trade Towers, the Pentagon, and (attempted at) the Capitol. The attacks were devastating: commercial airliners turned into giant missiles aimed at civilians. As we struggled with the aftermath, who among us imagined that another attack on the Capitol would occur nearly two decades later; not led by enemy states or foreign terrorists, but by a president who refused to accept an election loss?
When the “enemy” is external, perhaps it is more obvious that a united response is the answer. In September of 2001, unity seemed momentarily assured. The shock of the attacks elicited wave after wave of support. People in the U.S. and around the world seemed awakened to the need to address the root causes of violence and terrorism.
The speed with which that unity was squandered still takes my breath away. Within a few months, the attacks were used as a rationale for launching aggression long-desired by certain factions. They served as a cover for wars of acquisition, and the profiteers of that time eagerly stepped in. Decades of brutal fighting, loss of life, and loss of treasure ensued.
I wonder if this experience eroded our ability to unify. When a new virus threatened us all in early 2020, our national response was fatally fractured. When another violent attack on people at the Capitol succeeded in temporarily halting the work of Congress, our national response has been deeply (but not evenly) divided.
This brings me to my point: the stories of division we are fed daily - have been fed for decades - are lethal, and wrong. Lethal, because they sow distrust and cynicism, turning people away from political engagement and away from helping one another.
Wrong, because poll after poll shows that on so many large issues, Americans largely agree: reproductive choice, gun safety, voting rights, politics free of dark money, support for the social safety net for the sick, the elderly, and children, access to health care for all.
Yet we are told, over and over, that “we” are different than “they.” “They” want to end “our way of life.” “They” want to take by force or fraud what “we” have worked hard for. “We” cannot allow “them” to “replace us.”
Meanwhile, a very dear family friend faces the challenges of treatment for severe cancer. The circle of folks around him is united in supporting him, his wife, and children. All over this country, and all over this world, this story is repeated: families, neighbors, friends, and strangers uniting in loving support of one another.
Why, then, do we fall prey to the fear mongers who tell us the story of division, so that they may rise to profit and power? We see, every day, proof that their story is false.
Sent, as always, with love and gratitude for the company you offer on our journey.