[August 18, 2016] I’ve been meaning to write about this subject for some time now but haven’t quite figured out how to approach it without sounding too pedantic. The United States is a divided nation; one that witnesses a divisiveness in its rhetoric, behavior, laws, and customs … ever more so daily. Divisions are growing and our political leaders are not only doing nothing to stop it, they are primarily responsible for encouraging it.
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.” – Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. President
Long ago, leaders understood that when their citizens were divided it was easy for them to fall prey to aggressive, determined enemies. Fundamentally the ethos of any leader, particularly political leaders, is for the nation to act in unison on important issues. Debate and open communication are key methods by which to achieve this essential goal; a free and honest press helps assure us of this necessity.
The Latin phrase “E pluribus unum” is the official motto of the United States and means “out of many, one.” Symbols of unity abound across cultures and are the mainstay in survival for any nation or state. And while this has been commonly studied, we now see that many in the United States have rejected these teachings for a more individualistic and relativistic belief in the present.
In an earlier post I spoke about American core values; those which make up the heart of being a good citizen; liberty and freedom, equality and individualism, democracy, strength and winning, and family just to name a few (see links here, here, and here). Many commentators today say our younger generation is more hedonistic, self-centered, intellectually lazy, and have not been educated on the importance of American history or what makes it such a special country.
Perhaps this does tell us about the younger generation but it fails to mention the failure of older adults among who have allowed this to happen. Generally this is the result of a visible degradation of the family unit, demonizing of Christianity and Judaism, encouragement of selfish behavior and unearned rewards, and failure to discourage narcissistic behavior.
Our political leaders actively seek to divide us into race, gender, religious, and political categories. Votes to elect are the main motivator for them and little care is exercised about the impact of federal policies and regulations on the masses. As long as platitudes are issued to the citizenry there is ample opportunity to blame their political enemies for any shortfall is progress.
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