The Great Divide

"Americans have never been more divided."  I hear this quote often and it always makes me stop and wonder two things:  Is that really true?  If it is true, then why?

I think of the first question:  Is this really true?  Yes, in some respects, Americans are very divided on a number of issues:  healthcare, immigration, entitlements, the environment.  But, those are just issues.  Are Americans really divided against one another just because they don't agree on certain issues?  And, does that mean they are more divided than ever?  I don't think that it is true at all.

I mean honestly, do you really believe that Americans are more divided now than they were during, let's just say, oh, The Civil War?  Seriously, during the Civil War, Americans were so divided that several states actually voted to leave the Union and start their own government!  Now really, have things gotten that bad?

Some would lead you to believe that is the case.  Recently we have had debates over who is reponsible for healthcare.  Is it the government, the insurance companies or the individual?  Ask three different people and I'm pretty sure you will get three different answers.  Legal immigration versus illegal immigration -  that is guaranteed to fire up a debate. And now we have the "Mommy War."  Who works harder?  Stay-at-home moms or working moms?  It seems to me that the biggest war we are fighting right now is which group of people will claim victory over "I'm the biggest victim" status.  Class warfare and race warfare divide us even deeper.

All these manufactured "wars" meant to keep people from uniting over their commanilties is what divides the nation.  Are we all really that different?  Of course we are!  We are each and everyone of us an individual!  No individual is exactly like another.  As an indiviual I represent many different groups.  I'm a mom, a wife, a woman, a teacher. So I guess I have nothing in common with dads, husbands, men, and people outside of education. I'm a Christian, a conservative, a Republican. I couldn't possibly have the same hopes as a non-religious, liberal Democrat. I'm a consumer, a taxpayer, a government employee.  I'm in a union, I support free markets, and public education.  Those just don't make any sense at all.  I am actually in groups that oppose each other.  So which special interest group am I?  Other people might be in some of these groups, but many others make up other types of groups.  How do you decide which group most defines you?  I say NONE!  No one group can define or meet every interest of any one person!   

I guess it is impossible.  We are all just too different to come together.  There isn't any one group that shares all of the same interests.  Is there?  What happened to just being an American?  Let me see.....yep all of my special interests are part of being an American.  The spirit of the individual is what makes America great!  All Americans believe in the right to life.  We expect our lives to be safe and protected by the government as well as the lives of others and their property.  Liberty......do we have to give that up to be protected?  No.  Americans crave freedom!  Freedom of speech, religion, assembly.  Freedom of choice!  Freedom to pursue that which makes us happy! 

Back to the divide.  Why are we divided?  Because we let them divide us!  To many people have given away freedom just to be controlled by those who will give them the most freebies.  In 200 plus years we have managed to go from "Give me liberty, or give me death!"  To:  "Gimm-me!  Gimm-me!  Gimm-me!"  We are divided by envy and jealousy of what others have if we don't have the same thing.  Feelings drive people to do and say horrible things to those who are different because they are focused on their differences.  Why?  Our leaders are only focused on those differences.  They use those differences to divide and conquer.  To conquer the American spirit.

We can learn a lot from the Civil War.  People were divided more then than ever.  And for good reason!  Slavery was a wicked practice!  But are things so wicked now that they cannot be restored?  Absolutely not!  Abraham Lincoln said at the time, "A nation divided against itself shall not stand."  He united our nation after one of the most perilous times in our history.  Now it is up to Americans.  It is time to unite.  Stop the great divide!