Divisions

For the past week, I have struggled with reading (anti)social media and watching the news. I watch as our country devolves into violence, into an “us versus them” mindset. Black men are executed during simple traffic stops and for exercising their rights; white police officers are killed out of anger and retaliation for those killings of black men. Presidential candidates are spewing racist, sexist, dog-whistle phrases and memes as if they are the only ones whose opinions count and no one else is listening.

This is going on even among close friends and family. And I don’t like it. As Voltaire once said: “I disapprove of what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.” I used to believe that was what made civil discourse in America. We used to have polite conversation in our society, but it seems that “civil discourse” has become a dirty word. What ever happened to compromise? I give a little, you give a little; we agree to disagree on the rest, and leave those issues for later. These days, if one “side” or the other doesn’t get its way, the “civil discourse” turns into threats or downright violence.

What people seem to forget is that the Constitution applies to EVERYONE. Not just the rich, the white, the straight, the Right-Wing, the Christian. It applies to EVERYONE. The First Amendment states:

• “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

That sounds pretty plain to me. And to anyone who has read the writings of our founders, you will know that they wanted a country free from religious control and persecution – in short, they wanted a secular nation. After all, it hadn’t been that long since their own forefathers had boarded a ship to escape real religious persecution.While I don’t necessarily identify as a Christian, I do identify with the Christ-Consciousness. When I read the Christian Bible, I am more likely to pick up a red-letter version of that book and read the words printed in those red letters – the words of Jesus. (For the record, I don’t limit myself to the Christian Bible. I have also read from the Bhagavad Gita, The Tibetan Book of the Dead, the Kabalah, and various Indigenous belief systems. I am currently waiting for an annotated copy of the Holy Qo’ran.)

I read the Bible on a whim when Donna and I got home from Pagosa Springs last weekend. That day, I happened upon the Sermon on the Mount. I read the Sermon with the charged political rhetoric rolling around in the back of my head, and what stuck out to me the most was St. Matthew 7:1-2, as written in the King James Version.

1. “Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2. “For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”

Now, to me, that says you should be paying more attention to your journey through this life – not someone else’s. As my kids, grandkids, and step-family will tell you, I am not one to tell anyone how to live their life. If you come to me for advice, I will tell you how I see it, through the eyes of my wisdom and my experience, but your choices are your own. I don’t live in your skin, I don’t know what challenges this life is throwing at you, I don’t know you from the inside – only you do.

My personal philosophy is that I will pay attention to my journey in life and let you live yours. I will respect that your journey has led you to different conclusions and ways of thinking than have mine. I only ask that you grant me the same respect.

That is the beauty of America. We are the Melting Pot of the world. We have taken thousands of religious and spiritual beliefs and blended them into a wonderful, beautiful tapestry. This country is richer for the diversity, and our strength lies in our diversity, which is exactly what some want to destroy – and we are letting them.Some people think that the relative anonymity of social(?) media gives them the cover to say things they would not say to someone’s face. This is where I see civil discourse break down. I made a promise to myself that I will only post things that I would want my mother to read.

I have tried very hard this year to not push my political views on my social media tribe, mostly because I do not push my life, beliefs, and lifestyle in anyone’s face. I am also trying very hard not to respond to (what in my opinion are) not well-thought out arguments and news items from my friends and family who have political views that are opposite of my own (refer back to the Voltaire quote in paragraph 2 and the fact that this is only MY opinion, which I am entitled to keep to myself).

What a lot of people seem to have forgotten right now is that for every argument you have in favor of your position, there is likely someone out there that is living life on the other side of that argument. You want to open carry your AR-15 rifle? Fine, your neighbor down the street should be able to carry one too if they are as law-abiding as you. They’re black or Latinx? Why is that a problem to you? Don’t they have as much right to defend themselves against you as you do to defend yourself against them?

This is the problem I’m having with the “political discourse” this election cycle. This “my way or the highway” attitude that is pervasive on the internet right now (FaceCrack(sic), Titter(sic), Ribbit(sic), and the rest of unsocial media) has me close to uninstalling any (anti)social media sites from my phone and going back to the 1990s way of keeping in touch with friends and family – email and phone calls.

For now, though, I will mostly lurk, read the headlines that grab my attention and keep my political opinions to myself. But, I will vote my conscience when the elections roll around, and hope that people remember the real issues – we are one nation and it hasn’t only been those on “your” side that have helped make it the success it is today. It has been men and women, straight people and LGBTQIA people, white and black and Native American and Hispanic and Asian, Christian and Muslim and Jew and Buddhist and Wiccan and Indigenous – all of us together – that has made this country what it is.

Let’s find the things we have in common, instead of looking for the things that set us apart and make a better America for our kids, grand kids, and great grand kids.