The Schism

Friday, November 11, 2016

So many emotions & thoughts passing through my heart & mind since about 2:00 am on Wednesday, 11/9.    Certainly, I will not list them all now.  My purpose is to use the blog platform to share my thoughts about the state of our country, and to listen to those that wish to share.

With that being said, the first thought that I want to explore is the schism, the divide in our culture, in our society.  I am not presenting myself as a SME (subject matter expert).  I am only able to write about what I see.  It may be possible that we over-analyze social dynamics instead of going with our guts.  I understand that analysis presents a picture based on a large sampling and gives us the ability to view societal issues with more accuracy then can be had w/anecdotal evidence.  I respect that, but still I choose to start this discussion with my gut.

There are a few divides that I see in our culture, in humans.  First is the intelligence divide.  From my perspective I see one group as being thoughtful and concerned with human growth and embracing progress  in a forward thinking manner.  I see the other group as being short sighted, fearful, unwilling to explore, unwilling to grow.  The differences between these two ways of viewing the world is not new.  I believe the schism started when Darwin put  forward his findings re: evolution.  You might even go so far as saying it has been a culture war, that started with Darwin's writings, had a pause during WW II, and started again in the 1950s, with a continued building towards a crescendo that I do not believe has yet been reached.  Yes, even this election cycle is not the final resolution of this culture war.

Maybe, a large portion of humans in our country and world wide, are not yet capable of moving forward.  Maybe progress puts these people under too much stress, and they do not have the ability or tools to experience that stress and move through it.  Maybe, people do not see the social good in a woman terminating a pregnancy, because she knows she will not love the child and sees the negative social consequences of bringing a child into the world that would not be supported as a child needs to be.  Maybe, people do not see the human decency in using the best possible medical research options to develop cures for diseases that  would enable those that have them to have a better quality of life.  Maybe, people, while embracing technological advances, don't know how to use them responsibly and maybe this causes them stress.  Maybe, it is time for a pause.  If so, then the American electoral system has provided that pause.

Donald Trump, besides being a complete asshole, with a complete lack of morals, is simply a refection of the large number of Americans that are incapable of embracing progress.  Four years from now, America will see that Donald Trump was a mistake, but I doubt highly that Americans will have the fortitude to look at themselves, as individuals, and see that the mistake was theirs.

Instead of thinking for themselves, Americans have been led around by the nose and have been told what to think.  This has been done by political parties, churches and those with enough money to literally purchase the ability to influence.  The media is not without responsibility, in that they are driven by the profit motive.

We have much to explore, much inward focus that needs to be worked through, much to discuss and much to understand.  My hope is that in some small way, this blog becomes part of that process.