To My Dearest of Liberal Friends,
As the political machine continues its march towards a full roar, I have been left thinking of what has transpired over the past 8 years and what the coming years could look like. While we all have our opinions of our current president’s job performance, one thing I would hope we can all agree on is that as a country we have never been more divided. This saddens me as we approach the elections this November. As you are my friend, not my enemy. While we may not agree on some issues ideologically, we’ve have a glorious history and have beautiful memories that we share. So how is it that we’ve been able to be divided the way we have, by people we do not know? Regardless of the news channel you watch, the media tells us that it’s a me vs. you matter. The question is: Is it really? Is it not a us vs. them matter?
As informed citizens of this amazing republic which we call home, we acknowledge that our nation’s has persevered in spite of the many pages of our history that are stained with blood of tragedy and crimes against humanity. How is it then that we have managed to evolve as a nation in spite of our sometimes horrific history? The answer is simple… Unity. Not unity of mind, but unity of purpose. Our unity of purpose was established by our forefathers in the Constitution and laid the foundation of a truly free and democratic republic. I don’t believe our success as country has come in spite of our lack of unified minds, but rather, to a certain extent, because we don’t have unified minds. Indulge me as I clarify that point.
By our very nature we are limited to our own perspective, meaning that our vision can only process what we can see from our particular vantage point and therefore we can only see a sliver of the “complete picture”. The same logic applies to a group of people who all share the same or similar perspectives. They too are limited in what they can see. However, when we have a broad diversity of perspectives, we have the opportunity to see things from varying viewpoints, allowing us to see exponentially more of the “complete picture”. The catch is that this will only work if those evaluating these perspectives are united in purpose. Without a shared purpose, there wouldn’t be incentive for us take the time to see anything from any perspective other than our own. This is where we stand today. Divided not only in mind, but also in purpose. Or at least that’s what they want us to believe.
Now if we were to share with each other what our shared purpose would look like, I believe that it would look something like this:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
This of course is the Preamble to the US Constitution. You are my friend and, as such, I know you support this ideal. Though, according to the news (from any news channel), it is evident that we are irreconcilably divided, but I don’t believe this to be the case. I believe we are being lead to slaughter and anyone preaching anything other than unity as a nation is one of our “would be” slayers. There are a million thoughts that would have you fight this one simple truth, but it is only because you (like myself) have been politicized. However, it is the truth. We are united in purpose. Accept anything else and welcome the slaughter.
So as this political season comes to form, just remember that we are not enemies. While there are issues that we may think about differently, we ultimately want the same thing… “to form a more perfect Union”. I wish you the best in 2016.
My Best Regards,
