By Kael the Sapiocrat
divisions are a pain to deal with. Just ask your nearest interstate commerce lawyer.
Our country is probably as divisible as it has ever been -- and our current brand of politics is only perpetuating it. Yes, we've had a horrendous past as a nation. The institution of slavery? The near genocide of an entire culture? The dramatic decline of an entire economy due to inflation and greed which resulted in the socio-economic destruction of millions? Oh, we've messed up bad. The history books prove it. As much as we decry those things which divide us, division has, in essence, become the lifeblood of this nation. We've allowed it to define us and serve as a counterbalance to the "United" word that stands at the beginning of our country's name. We see division in places where division isn't warranted. In our skin color, in the way our towns and cities are organized, even in the way we treat one another.
I dare say that every US citizen, at least once in their lives, recited the all-American Pledge of Allegiance. It was the morning ritual when I was growing up. At the start of the day, we would all stand next to our desks in the classroom while the school principal would lead us in the patriotic recital over the intercom. We would stand straight up with a proud stance and right hands covering our hearts. We did this not because it was the patriotic thing to do, but because it was simply the daily habit. Many of us didn't even know what we were pledging for or to. All we knew was that if we didn't do it, we'd get written up and sent to the vice-principal's office.
Incentive enough, right?
All these years later, I'm still stuck on the real meaning of one word in particular:
"...under God, indivisible..."
Interesting.
After consulting the dictionary (Webster, of course), I've discovered that indivisible simply means "incapable of being divided, separated, or broken." What did the author of the pledge mean by indivisible? Learned scholars may argue that since it was written just 27 years after the end of the Civil War, maybe placing that word in the pledge signified the commitment to ensuring that a division between the North and South would never happen again. I can buy that. Geographic
But what if that's not what Mr. Bellamy meant? What if he believed in the grand (and far-fetched, at the time) idea that the United States could become a cultural, social and politically indivisible nation -- holding true to the idea of equal justice and liberty for all? Because if that's what he meant, poor Mr. Bellamy would have a real "SMH" moment.
Our country is probably as divisible as it has ever been -- and our current brand of politics is only perpetuating it. Yes, we've had a horrendous past as a nation. The institution of slavery? The near genocide of an entire culture? The dramatic decline of an entire economy due to inflation and greed which resulted in the socio-economic destruction of millions? Oh, we've messed up bad. The history books prove it. As much as we decry those things which divide us, division has, in essence, become the lifeblood of this nation. We've allowed it to define us and serve as a counterbalance to the "United" word that stands at the beginning of our country's name. We see division in places where division isn't warranted. In our skin color, in the way our towns and cities are organized, even in the way we treat one another.
While cultural and political differences are inescapable truths that cannot be satisfied, it doesn't mean that those differences should invoke division. Like a combination of notes, each with their own unique (different) sound, I believe that our path to becoming a multi-part harmony is laid out before us. However, it is our duty as citizens of a united nation to forego any element which may cause us to further divide. We should be a model for an free and democratic republic to the world, not a living example against it.
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