Unity from 2016 to 2020
In 2016 I wrote a blog about an encounter at a park that my family had with a child who had a political t-shirt on. The shirt read, “Obama your fired!” with some sort of Trump logo. My children started playing with this child not even bothering to notice what is on his shirt. Acquaintances I was with labeled him the “Trump kid” behind whispers among parents. I was thinking that it was sad that this child’s parents decided to have their child support such a divisive figure in such a public way. My piece wound up with the thoughts that we as adults could learn a lot from this encounter. Could we learn to “play” nicely and live peacefully with individuals with differing viewpoints?
Fast forward to 2020, my son notices a Joe Biden sign while we are passing by in the car. He shouts, “I hope Joe Biden wins. Donald Trump sucks!” My daughter follows up with, “I wish someone would kill Trump.” Ut-oh Where did I go wrong as a parent? These exclamations are indicative of what has been happening in our country over the past four years. Our passion for vitally important issues has turned into demonizing the other side. This of course happens both on the right and the left. Some family members have stopped speaking with each other. There is a mass unfriending on social media of those who don’t agree with you.
It is important when you are protesting something not to become the very thing you are protesting against. Being a liberal I am speaking out about issues that all boil down to animosity. In my view, the current administration’s stance on immigration is ugly and hateful. A desire to illuminate affordable health care and other social service programs seems vengeful. We are called by every other nonviolent conflict resolution warrior to do everything we can to abolish laws that harm other people. Just as Desmond Tutu once stated, “If you choose to be neutral in situations of injustice you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” However, has our determination for justice made us filled with scorn?
In one NPR interview the late congressman John Lewis speaking about his March to Selma spoke about the value of love. He told Terry Gross that even if the police beat him and arrested him he was going to love them anyway. He told us to just, “Love the hell out of everybody.” It’s hard to love those we feel are harming ourselves and others. For many spiritual disciplines love is a central theme. These great teachings tell us to love not only those who love us but all of humanity. Could I possibly have love for Donald Trump? I am definitely not there yet.
So how do we heal our nation no matter the outcome of the next election. What can we learn from our children, before they are inundated with other messages, about “playing nicely” with those we may disagree with? We all, myself included, have a long way to go.