Put aside prejudices

“Oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.”

These powerful words from our beloved national anthem bring a sense of sadness to me these days as I witness our flag flying half-mast day in and day out as a result of yet another tragedy such as a mass shooting, terrorist attack, or racially targeted killings by and against law enforcement. It seems these tragedies have escalated to a nearly daily event over the course of the past several months. Obviously this country and the world are spinning out of control.

There’s a lot of talk about extremism and I agree it is a large contributing factor to the state of crisis that we find ourselves in. By extremism I do not mean just the so-called religious extremists such as ISIS and Boko Haram, but extremism in our own country among our political parties and our citizens at large. Our political landscape has become so polarized in recent years that a sensible discussion about political litmus tests such as gun control, prayer in schools, LGBT rights, immigration, mental health funding, and law enforcement has become impossible.

Until and unless we are able to put aside our prejudices and senseless conformism to two wildly divergent party platforms and elect leaders who are willing to sit down at the table together in a spirit of humility and problem-solving, we will continue to lose our battle against hate and evil.

Let’s demand that our politicians stop adhering to dictated party extremes and instead give actionable consideration to steps that can be taken toward the center on the polarizing issues that are fanning the flames of violence. This is crucial if we are to give peace a chance in this broken time and place. SUSAN POSPISIL Fayetteville