..."One nation indivisible." Those words from the Pledge of Allegiance don't ring true today.
We are more divided than any time in our history. We are at each other's throats daily, common ground be damned. We're the United States of Whine-Merica. You offend me, I offend you. The right to free speech only applies to people who share the same opinions.
When did civility and respect die? How did we become numb to the violence and injustice around us? Apparently the only thing worth fighting for is your own self interest.
With individuals behaving like sovereign states, no wonder this country seems like it's coming unglued. The last time I saw Americans come together as a nation was 9/ll/2001. A whole generation reached adulthood without realizing that freedom's not free.
Let's show them how to come together to protect our democracy. Remember, "E Pluribus Unum"? Americans all.
— Suztek
We are more divided than any time in our history. We are at each other's throats daily, common ground be damned. We're the United States of Whine-Merica. You offend me, I offend you. The right to free speech only applies to people who share the same opinions.
When did civility and respect die? How did we become numb to the violence and injustice around us? Apparently the only thing worth fighting for is your own self interest.
With individuals behaving like sovereign states, no wonder this country seems like it's coming unglued. The last time I saw Americans come together as a nation was 9/ll/2001. A whole generation reached adulthood without realizing that freedom's not free.
Let's show them how to come together to protect our democracy. Remember, "E Pluribus Unum"? Americans all.
— Suztek
It's unfortunate that the "coming together" about 9/11 resulted in approval of an unjust war and the destruction (more or less) of another country. The work we needed to do was internal; freedom's not "free" in the sense that it requires constant self-examination to assure that we are not privileging our own "freedoms" (some of them quite trivial) over others' basic rights. (from "Macoff")
ReplyDeleteI appreciate this essay. "Brother against brother" was unfathomable to me. We again have quite literally brother against brother. I think maybe you're right that this is our worst divisiveness - not geographical battle lines but two sets of people separated by a deep abyss with no footbridges across. I have tried to trace back to the beginnings of the current come apart. Nixon comes to mind but ultimately his own party's leaders had him resign. Now, there is no pretense that party can be set aside for country. Heartsick. Furious. Heartsick. Mad as hell. Turbulent times.
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