The question is as old as our nation, and for that matter, older. How to come up with a real, viable solution to a nation that just no longer sees eye to eye?
I won’t pretend there are simple, easy answers. I won’t pretend that I am some sort of expert on the matter, or have some insight that has never been thought of or tried before. I think though, that discussions have to happen, and without them we face a crisis exactly like the War Between the States. We can’t let that happen.
There a lot of different ideas. Everything from secession, dissolution, changes to the Constitution, restructuring the layout of the states, and more. There are probably equally as many articles on the internet as there are ideas on how to make it happen. But I think I have an idea of what the main sticking point is. Just like in a marriage headed for divorce, both sides refuse to compromise.
The real question is: Is that something that can be fixed without either party losing what they feel are their core principles? Their fundamental reason for being? Or is it just like the marriage headed to divorce, irreconcilable difference that are beyond fixing?
I know, at least speaking for myself, there are principles that the left holds that I cannot agree with, period. One of them is their stance on abortion. Another is the attacking of freedom of religion. And another is everyone’s equal right to free speech. But therein is the problem. The lines are so defined between positions on those issues that finding a way to meet somewhere in the middle is mostly futile.
I have been reading a book called “ Your Brains Politics: How the Science of Mind Explains the Political Divide” by George Laskoff and Elizabeth Wehling. One of the ideas they present, that makes sense, at least to me, is the quote that we “automatically map our beliefs about what constitutes idea family life and parenting onto politics.” This is based on the concept that all thinking is metaphorical, that is, “ metaphors structure our everyday cognition, our perception of reality. They are a matter of thought, they are a matter of language, and they are a matter of actions.”
So, that quite possibly being the case, where does that leave us if, for lack of a better phrase, if our beliefs are controlled by our subconscious? Can we ever find a way to come together? Obviously, that is just but one of many ideas among thousands as to why we are so divided.
So is there a solution, or would both sides be better off cutting loses and letting each other go their own way? Personally, I do not feel that secession is the answer. But let me clarify. I say secession with the understanding that it is defined as “The act of seceding or withdrawing; withdrawal; retirement; seclusion; detachment; separation.” The idea of seclusion and detachment is not one that I think should be entertained. It would leave both sides extraordinarily vulnerable.
That being said, I am in favor of separation. The kind of separation that a marriage, that still has some hope of surviving, goes through. I think both sides need their space. But within that space should remain the bond of “marriage” that exists in the Union of the States. This would entail an overhaul of how we view our nation, as a whole. I would see it as exactly like a marriage separation. Both parties would no longer reside in the same “enclosure”, that is, in marriage a house, in this case the same layout of states, but would both remain in the “marriage”, that is bound by rules that effectively bind them together for a common cause and good of each other, but with modifications and how it functions.
This is a lot to digest and has many moving parts and scenarios that would need to be addressed, but I think, at least in the short term it not only provides for the protection of both parties as a whole, but also in regards to their individualistic requirements that make us different from each other.
This is why, as I have stated, discussion HAS to be at the top of the list. Real solutions and real thought processes to fix this instead of us hating each other more and more until we get to the point were, like in 1861, we start killing each other.
So, let’s discuss. I am open to ideas from all and hope that we can entertain our thoughts with open hearts and minds that are not clouded with hatred.
Originally published at https://verity.truthvid.com on January 18, 2021.
