Maybe it has occurred to you already? That the partisan state of politics is what has stagnated our country in so many ways at the state and federal levels? We have come to a standoff with each other, no longer a country united, but a country divided, and “a house divided cannot stand.” Right?

Historically, it has been times of trouble that have brought the country together. We have gone to war together, and rightly so, when it was truly necessary, but that doesn’t seem as clear to us anymore. Can going to war be a sustainable purpose? I think not. Though we are much more aware and even connected to major conflict around the world, over the centuries and even decades, the number of major conflicts has diminished. We are now dealing with late bloomers and fringes, for all intents and purposes. So, no, war will not sustain us, and especially that of our own instigation outside our borders.

The big question in my mind is, what are the common vision, mission and values we can rally toward as a country that do not speak to destruction but to a brighter evolution for us?

Is it possible for us to break away from pundits and partisan politics to really sit down together and truly communicate to discover what is truly our common good? Can we stop interpreting our past into partisan beliefs to discover who we are and what we truly stand for in the 21st century?

Without a way for us all to look forward in one direction, I fear we are bound to keep traveling in circles, going anywhere but where we might all want to go.

  • The first step is to get away from our rhetoric of accusations – this is obvious in all media, news and social especially.
  • The second is to share our perspectives and interpretations respectfully and truthfully – which may require some personal reflection and introspection, because we all too often spout off what we hear that seems to match what we think we believe.
  • The third is to listen.  Listen with open minds, and yes, hearts, too, to what our fellow citizens are trying to share with us.

If we could each, as individuals, do more to hear each other out and seek to understand, I don’t know the exact outcome, but I am fairly certain that it will be a far sight better than the state we are in now.