Nation faces corrosion, a poisoning of society

At our best, in imperfect ways, most of us attempt to be positive, helpful citizens. In our finest hours, our humanity radiates, shining the best light on our collective souls.

This is not one of those periods.

What is occurring in these disunited states did not happen overnight nor appear from nowhere from causes unknown. The sad, indisputable corrosion has been rubbing away for years. Overseas wars, Watergate, political prevarications, gerrymandering, the lack of viable political choices and unconscionable amounts of money clog our system and fracture our values, poisoning our society. These appear to contradict our democratic foundations. Each of us is prone to potentially dangerous but understandable thinking; in the aggregate the dynamic becomes more forceful and divisive. In these times we take credit for our successes but appear to waive our shortcomings while blaming the “others.” Our rhetoric has consequences intended and insidiously unintended. The larger the stage upon which our voices are heard, the brighter the spotlight, the more consequential the outcomes.

We draw from our separate histories but unite for the common welfare. We are on a perilous path often paved with what each side views as well-meant intentions. What assists to fracture our goals is an absence of common unity on settled facts and values. The journey to a United States becomes more arduous if there is no consensus on assumptions or trust between us. If we speak as unique tribes hearing only pleasant echoes of our thoughts, how is a middle ground to be cultivated?

No society has a guarantee on its future. Together we might stand; divided we shall surely decline. Howard olshansky Amsterdam