What Unites Us?

Turn on social media and note the messages. Some are positive. Some are negative. Some are philosophical. Some are interest-centered – hobbies, photos, family activities – while others are raging debate hubs.


I’ve written this blog for 6.5 years. Longer. 2200+ postings. Two million words. I’ve explained issues that appear in news feeds that are grossly misunderstood – economics, biology, physics, history, etc. I’ve observed life in its enormity and at its cellular level. Poetry has been used when other words simply fail. Opinions are common, after all, this is a commentary blog.


I’ve shared my life’s activities on a daily basis. This blog is also intended to be a diary of sorts. From that perspective come many topics for discussion. And those topics have been handled in many ways. Hopefully they have been entertaining, thought provoking and insightful.


This has been a fun experience. It has become self-propelled; never a day when no topic came to mind. I have not suffered writer’s block. Pages have filled quickly. Sometimes I’ve probably filled pages too quickly, without thinking through finer points, or gone on too long. My first efforts at blogging found me writing essays of 1200 to 2000 words. Way too long! I’ve slowly cut these down to 400 to 500 words. In doing that I’ve found more efficient means to state a point. That’s good for the reader, too; less time and distraction.


After all of this experience, though, I’m continually struggling with this question: What Unites Us as Human Beings? As a nation?


I care that Americans know who they are, but these days definitions are nuts. There are most likely a thousand or more ways to define what an American is. Even then, more descriptions would be offered in a trice. Most of the identification would center on how groups of people are different from one another. From there we show the full panoply of differences writ large.


Too bad, I say. I think we should focus more on what unites us. That is the core of defining a people.

Life is filled with opposites. Those are handy to help us understand situations and individuals. But it doesn’t often help us move on to a constructive behavior. That’s what we need, though, isn’t it?

Shouldn’t we be figuring out how to live well and together simultaneously? Shouldn’t we be free to be ourselves while allowing others to do the same? And respect those differences, maybe even celebrate them?


Meanwhile, what do we believe in together so we can move forward with purpose and vigor? And find happiness through this shared activity. Helping neighbors dig out of a snowstorm is an iconic image to think on. Same with helping people recover from floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and other natural disasters. Helping others is a way to heal one's own inner soul.


We say we are a people living out our freedoms. Yet we quickly slam others with restrictions or insults about their freedoms. Anger follows. More insults, too. The positive turns ugly and negative.

Whatever happened to loving thy neighbor? Or treating others as you want them to treat you? Isn’t this the center of everything we believe in as humankind? Are there any borders between nations on this issue alone?  I doubt it.


So why are we arguing about every little thing all the time? Are we that unhappy? Do we feel that weak and powerless? Or must we lord something over another person in order to feel good?


I think we’ve been at an important crossroad for our society for a long time now. Best we get on with fixing this elemental pivot point lest we lose ourselves forever.

Or maybe we already have?


April 8, 2019