9-29-19 America the Divided
The ire of the American people is coming to a crescendo. The division in this country is perhaps worse than it was in the 1960s. Friends won't talk to friends. Threats are made. Misunderstandings are heightened. It's becoming everyday business to be a part of a visceral environment. The frustrations of everyone seem to be bubbling to the top. This is very serious. We are Americans. Most of us are Christian Americans. Yes, we have various gradients of what all that means, but the bottom line is that we are losing our ability to be civil to one another. We can blame it on a lot of things, excuse our feelings, but in reality, it is on each of us individually. We can control who we are, what we say, how we feel.
I have to ask the question: What circumstances would ever arise where a president of the United States can feel comfortable publically calling a segment of the American citizenry "Son of a b----es"? Think about that. We have an environment in this country where it appears OK to do that-and a lot of people support him in doing so. Quite frankly, and I may become very unpopular for this opinion, I just don't think elected officials of any political stripe should refer to Americans as SOBs. But this is all part of the lack of civility in our nation at this point in time. It's easy to say, "Well, these guys shouldn't be doing this...Or, those guys shouldn't be doing that," but should we be so uncivil to one another?
Many who are reading this column would be the first to scowl if I called a group of people, SOBs. There would be a lot of "unsubscribes" in the wake of it. To the point, President Donald Trump should begin acting "presidential" instead of like a bully in a school yard. Yes, he has the majority on his side about issues like taking a knee during the National Anthem, but does he have to resort to such a base level? What does this say to our country, to the rest of the world? I supported this man for President despite his being rough around the edges, but after nine months on the job, he should become at least a little more polished in how he behaves, AND in what he says and how he says it. We need statesman-like leadership not more division.
For Trump's presidency to be successful, he will have to unify a deeply divided, and quite frankly, angry, nation. Empathy, Statesmanship, and a sense of positive direction would go a long way in making America great again. Proverbs 15:1 says, "A soft answer turns away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger." Proverbs 15:18 says, "A wrathful man stirs up strife: but he that is slow to anger quiets strife." Our president would be well to heed these nuggets of wisdom because as in Matthew 12:25, "And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand." Let us pray that we can begin to stand in unity as a nation.
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