United States or Divided States?

sumatranate (64) in life • 7 years ago (edited)

We claim to be "The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave," but we are addicted and enslaved by debt, drugs, and destruction.

We say that we value diversity and everyone brings something to the table, but some of us hate the men and women who put on a blue uniform in the morning, and some of us hate anyone whose skin color does not match our own.

We advocate for your right to choose, but only when you are registered to our political party, your religious affiliation is acceptable in our eyes, and we find you convenient.

But you are on your own if you are too liberal or too conservative.
You are on your own if you are too Christian, Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu, Atheist, or Agnostic.
You are on your own if you are unborn, elderly, disabled, or an immigrant.

We applaud the idea of the American Dream, but some of us keep you bound to government programs while others never have and never will bless you with our time or our money.

We may be the United States, but we don't seem to be unified. I don't believe we all have to agree, but can we at least be committed to civil discourse.

Yes, the past is riddled with generations of sin. And yes, a brighter future still seems so far away, but will you stand with me today and make this moment count?

Image Source: https://pixabay.com/en/statue-of-liberty-new-york-ny-nyc-267948/

life freedom unity divided philosophy

7 years ago by sumatranate (64)

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pbgreenpoint (68) · 7 years ago

Definitely divided. I blame main stream media that puts everything into one side or the other. Very rarely do they report a “gray” middle area.

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2 votes

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sumatranate (64) · 7 years ago

For me personally I see some things black or white. But I agree that there are places of compromise for some issues. The middle ground does not sell as well as the extremes.

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intspekt (47) · 7 years ago (edited)

Yes. I will.

And I'll simply say "welcome to humanity".

I think we (myself not excluded) tend to focus on what's directly in front of us, and we lose perspective that way. I believe that, in truth, if we could all go into each other's homes and have real, thought-out discussions about the topics we seem so divided on, that what we'd find is that the truth of our opinions is anything but black and white.

And I think, sometimes, our opinions as politically divided groups of people are often projected as black and white because it's the easiest, simplest way to communicate information. And on a personal basis, I think we may see the issues presented as more black and white because, maybe, we don't always have ways of articulating our views so that they aren't presented that way.

Debate should be nuanced. Ideally, when in its best form, it is. But we don't debate anymore. We fight. We name-call, and we shout and we slander and we play the "whattaboutism" game and it's entirely not productive. It's not conducive to creating true change.

We're proud, all of us. We're proud of being proud. And we're all afraid to admit that we may be wrong. And I think we're living in a time when a lot of us are very much wrong. Our two main political parties have been exposed as being corrupt to their core. And I think rather than acknowledge that and work on that, and do the self-reflection, self-criticism it takes to work on that, we naturally find it easier to point our fingers at whatever easiest and most timely scapegoat we can find. And this applies to every single one of us. It's no one's fault. It's everyone's fault. We have to change the way we have political discourse. It's not working the way we're doing it.

And with that said, I think the news skews our view of what's truly going on. I've already said that, but I'm saying it again. We need to turn off our TV's and go talk to each other. That's the only way we're going to have any truly realistic view of what's going on (and especially what other people think). I don't think it's as bad as we think it is. I think it's our tone. Our tone has gone negative and cynical and we've let the bar drop to a level that's created this reality. And the good news is (there's never good news on the TV) but in reality we can change it.

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2 votes

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sumatranate (64) · 7 years ago (edited)

We will disagree. You bring up a great point. It is how we interact with each other in those disagreements that will show how we move forward.

Media is definitely playing on a real divide that exists. We need to return to the conversation with voices that seek reason and hearts that are willing to admit when we are wrong.

Thanks for adding to the conversation.

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bozz (70) · 7 years ago

Never more so than recent times has the divide between our country been more evident to me. People are so tied to political parties and affiliations that they will oppose anything no matter the cost. One party could have a 100% guaranteed policy to bring world peace and the other side would oppose it just because of who developed it. See what I did there... I tried not to take sides because I don't feel either can be held blameless. I feel both sides in the US have done their part to foster division. Every time I think about the future, I always remember the scene from Star Trek: First Contact where they are explaining how the introduction of warp technology, inter-stellar travel, and finding we aren't alone in the universe ushered in a new era of advancement. No longer were we driven by greed, but we were brought together by the need to explore the unknown. I hope to live to see some advancement that brings about that kind of change.

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1 vote

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sumatranate (64) · 7 years ago

@bozz, I agree that in any situation both sides deserve some blame. No one is perfect so we all are going to mess up. And for me, this issue is even bigger than political lines.

I would love to see a unified country. I am hopeful, but also realistic.

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yassine04 (54) · 7 years ago

Divided

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1 vote

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skiponline (51) · 7 years ago

As an outsider,I'm Canadian, we have been looking in at the US with unbelieving eyes. It seems your whole country has been turned inside- out. Many blame it on Trump, and as a Twitter user, I can see why. People are starting to worry, and as a person living so very close to your border (we are right across the Detroit River) we feel that fear as well.

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1 vote

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sumatranate (64) · 7 years ago

Thanks for your point of view. I think that the issue is bigger than the current administration, but it is hard to move forward when leaders are not willing to listen to other leaders or the people that they claim to lead.

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awakentolife (60) · 7 years ago

Wow, my friend. I would have to agree with you on all points. I spent 6 years in U.S. Even though America offers much more opportunities to live an "American Dream" there are still issues which need to be addressed and fixed so it can be truly called American Dream. But, it is not the only country out there facing the same issues like this. The entire world is divided and people are separated for various type of reasons. Most of them you mentioned above.

We live in a greed world right now where the elite have more than enough and they can't get enough while majority lives on poverty lines. Somehow these people have convinced others there is not enough for everybody while they sit on "golden thrones."

Maybe we can challenge that on Steemit here? But, maybe I am just a dreamer? I hope I am not the only one...

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2 votes

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eonwarped (68) · 7 years ago

I'm not as optimistic as you, though maybe if we can establish the culture that encourages civil discourse. At the very least, the community we're in is :) we just have to spread it further.

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1 vote

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sumatranate (64) · 7 years ago

You are correct. Every country has its own problems. And most of the problems are just variations of what everyone else has. My time overseas helped me realize this.

Since I am from the US then I feel most comfortable talking about her. Let's keep dreaming and Steeming! I am hopeful for change. I want to work towards change.

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coachjj (47) · 7 years ago

Yes! I'd vote for you @sumatranate.

You're right, we're not free--and we don't even realize it. We definitely aren't unified. Hopefully, people speaking out like this will open the eyes of a Nation.

I love your posts. Keep sharing :)

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1 vote

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sumatranate (64) · 7 years ago

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement. I am not running for office, but I will let you know if I do :)

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sayedahmadsabiq (44) · 7 years ago

If there is no rainbow color difference,
then the rainbow will not be beautiful ...
If there is no difference between man,
then human life will be empty does not mean at all ..

Poetry for my friend @sumatranate
from @sayedahmadsabiq

🙏