A 61 year old's thoughts on how to heal America's divide

Letter #32

Photo by Belle Collective on Unsplash

Hello Tom,

In your last letter, it was good to see that a lot of money goes into helping the world and people in need from the Christian community and other religions. I think that it is the most basic calling we as humans have from God. To help the poor and needy. When it comes to the apparent contradiction many seem to have when it comes to people in need, especially people trying to come into the USA, that would be a discussion I think both sides need to have.

Without either side feeling judged or having accusations thrown at them. Like you Tom, I wonder why all of us always seem to assume the worst of each other. If we could just sit down and have a discussion about any topic without either side getting defensive, we would be on our way to a huge breakthrough all over the world.

Another hurdle is the tribalism that we as humans seem to have in our very beings. Let me be very frank and vulnerable here. We as the human race have to fight against this preference many of us have to be around our “own kind”. I see it every day at my job and pretty much every place I look. I understand the reasons for it, but it needs to be something we all try to stop. Especially when the reason is based on race. There is much to learn and enjoy in our differences. And even if we can’t come to agreement on differences of opinion about life, we can still find common ground in so many other areas to bring us together,

There used to be a time in America when people on both sides of the spectrum could agree to disagree. But now the problem is both sides want to look at the other side as evil or immoral and all that is going to do is divide us more. Neither side can brow beat the other into changing their mind. I never thought I would say this but maybe it’s a good thing both sides exist. Too much power in anyone’s hands is a bad thing. I have leaned left on issues that I haven’t before by reading someone that took the sanctimony out of the equation. I guess it’s in my rebellious nature to fight against being brow beat. I don’t know. But many of the writers on Substack, including you son, have gotten me to rethink where I stand by taking the sanctimony out of it.

But yes, many people all over the world that have differing views have a desire inside them to help their fellow human. That’s one area in which there is much common ground. That’s why hospitals and charities are started. I’m just glad you took the time to show that the Christian faith does do a lot of good.

I think I’ve spent a lot of time being critical of certain people in the church and for good reason. We’ve earned the bad reputation in some instances.

I wanted to share some good stories. When I was really struggling badly in 10th grade, I had a teacher who was also our school counselor. She took so much time to talk to me through those rough months. I was 15 years old with no coping mechanisms. She showed me how to cope by thinking right and by just listening. I had Christian teachers that took time from their own home life many times to help me. I had many that laughed and cried with me and helped me scholastically when I needed help.

Let me go in another direction.

You mentioned the moral outrage some people had when Chick-Fil-A went in the direction it went in with some of their views. I’m going to go in a different direction here to make us think. First of all, don’t we live in a culture where the view is that morality is subjective? That truth is one person’s view according to what is true to them? How come those that hold that view get angry when people hold a view that’s different from them? If you really believe that truth is a personal preference and relative to the individual, why is there anger? Especially when you throw evolution into the mix? If one segment of the population has gotten to where they are due to evolutionary biology through the process of time, are they really responsible?

I think that’s a good discussion to have. Why do both sides get angry? Are we that convinced that we’re right? If we think that we’re right and there’s only one view on any given topic, are we being consistent in our relativism?

See both sides really want the other to live by a set of standards and rules in the final analysis.

I think that’s another good discussion to have. How can we reconcile that and try to live in peace in harmony with each other? Is it possible? I sure hope so.

Now onto the amazing moving scene from The Pianist. I think it does touch on the nature of us humans. Like we discussed before in a previous letter. Does man have an immaterial side? That German soldier definitely was touched by something inside his very soul. Was it something deeper than mere chemical reactions in the brain? Could it possibly be the immaterial part of him?

In a coming letter I’m going to expound on this, but Thomas Aquinas said that the two areas of humankind that transcend the body is the ability to love and the ability to know. I think this German soldier’s ability to love and know in that scene couldn’t have been better illustrated. Just like when we go into the Sistine chapel and are touched at a deeper level that sure feels deeper than a chemical reaction in the brain.

Either way, there is this wonderful scene of this Nazi Officer being awakened in a way that’s so powerful.

To your other point about the protagonist as opposed to the antagonist in a movie. Isn’t it interesting that many times they employ similar tactics to accomplish a goal? We cheer James Bond or Jack Bauer for using brutal tactics at times to achieve a good end. Would we do the same thing if our loved one was on a plane, and we knew the only way to save them would be to use a brutal tactic? What does that say about our humanity? Is it justified? These are all interesting questions.

It’s not so easy to navigate through these times unless we try our best to come to some consistent world view that treats people with dignity and honor with the view that human life is sacred.

I try my best to do that every day.

But I’ve got a lot to learn even at my age of 61.

Thank you, Tom, for this provoking discussion. Thank you reading family for being a part of the journey too!