Indivisible?

On this day 232 years ago, the Framers met in Philadelphia to sign the US Constitution, setting a nation on a bold course to becoming a more perfect Union.

John Adams called the drafting of the Constitution “the greatest single effort of national deliberation that the world has ever seen.”

It was designed to bind us together but sadly we are far from those ideals set down over two centuries ago.

What is truly indivisible?

Many have lived through the pain of divorce, loss of a friendship from a falling out, or a family member’s sibling rivalry which can drive a wedge between the bond of blood. It seems very little is indivisible, as death will inevitably see us separated from everything we have become attached to.

Therefore, how can we ensure a nation remains indivisible when the greatest empires have crumbled despite the solemn vows and oaths of its leaders and citizens? Those who strive to continue the legacy of the "United States" to be inseparable were prepared to spill blood despite the odds being stacked against them to create and maintain the union on the premise "All Men Are Created Equal", despite many of the signatories being slave owners. The constitution was a compromise based on a period and culture that relied heavily on slavery for the prosperity of a new nation. There were few such as John Adams, who truly understood what was intended by "all". Perhaps it was a deliberate time bomb waiting for a time where we had evolved to understand the true value of this declaration. Amendments continue to refine the work of flawed men who did what they believed was their best in their time for the sake of forging a union, even if it meant it came with the price of a moral sacrifice.

Today many of these issues are still hotly contested and while our law plays catch up on ensuring we are "all" equal, we choose to blame outside (commercial and or foreign) influences with ulterior motives that can sabotage the best of intent and undo the ties that bind. The truth is, it is up to us, it is our own fear and lack of moral courage that feeds into a growing trust deficit that continues to spiral out of control.

Much like a failing relationship, perhaps it's best to break the bonds that bind us and start again. If we have exhausted every opportunity to reconcile do we salvage what we can or perish slowly in misery? If we do not have the fortitude to go through the pain of change when the pain of staying the same is still bearable many of us prefer to suffer in silence (AKA The Silent Majority). In a relationship after an unforgivable betrayal where a pattern of abuse emerges and neither party is prepared to compromise or show little if any contrition, communication becomes pointless as we just shut down leaving little space for forgiveness or reconciliation as we await the inevitable. The only choice left to us is no choice other than to break our vows and separate or seek comfort elsewhere. Either way the outcome will be the same.

What happens when a nation continues to slide down a slippery slope towards the chasm of the great divide fueled by fear, and a love for a country sees us blinded to exclude many of those who live within it? The scars of past conflicts remain as the vanquished and oppressed bide their time waiting for the opportunity to rise again, all the while spreading resentful seeds of doubt to undermine those now in power. However for this to happen in a nation that is the most influential and powerful nation on the planet, it can have global repercussions that impact everyone.

When a growing discontent is left unchecked, communication breaks down seeing more statements, rather than questions derived from critical thinking. This can lead to a "virtual civil war". The US is proficient at war and knows only too well the consequences, as it still bears the open festering wounds of a real conflict that have never fully healed. The civil war I speak of today is for the most part "virtual" and in some ways more harmful, as there is no age limit and the collateral damage extends beyond any border with no uniform to distinguish the enemy in a world of anonymity. It is a house divided which does not serve the greater good, where lines are blurred as it captures those who would even oppose it.

With an election approaching its citizens hunker down as hosts of late night shows battle over the airwaves using humor to disarm us from a reality that is just too frightening to consider. They take any opportunity to put the boot into a hapless public figure for a laugh to gain a spike in the ratings. So we brace ourselves for a relentless onslaught of negative campaigns, and coverage of only the bad news, all designed to discredit those we have entrusted to govern 325 million citizens. Sadly unbeknownst to many, the influence of the media content, tears at the fabric of the unity of a nation the founding fathers fought so hard to forge on this day, the 232 years ago.

Our leaders today do not have the advantage of starting with a blank canvas, yet pull threads from a knotted ball of string trying to write laws and policies to better serve vested interests. There appears to be no robust discussions searching for a way to move the nation forward, more so just the party's entrenched rhetoric to raise funds and maintain their base. Senators speak to cameras rather than each other, too often addressing empty rooms devoid of any collegiality or the bipartisanship that gave birth to the constitution that formed the union.

How do we influence the narrative when both sides are so eager to rise up by putting the other down for the nightly news "grab"? The introduction of TV cameras into the government in March 1979 was seen as a good thing to encourage transparency , however civil discourse has decreased as did the passage of bills with an increase in filibustering among our honourable members, hitting all time highs from 2008.

The 2020 Democratic Presidential election debates are constantly reminding us of the insurmountable challenges the US faces, from health care, school shootings and homelessness, to record incarceration rates, racial profiling and growing mental health issues with a national deficit too large for most people to comprehend. Those who appear to be on the same page begin to target each others character trying to rise up by putting others down. There are only a few exceptions choosing to play the ball reminding their colleagues, we are better than this and we need to remain united if we are going to win. Easier said than done when we rely on a camera to deliver a message and ensure you are in the headlines in tomorrows news feed.

Upon closer examination the underlying cause to many of these issues, with exception to school shootings, are not exclusive to the USA. Unfortunately, as we see a rise of the “isms” becoming more prevalent in society and of course I mean, narcissism, chauvinism, activism, nationalism, racism, socialism, feminism, extremism, Nazism, hedonism and fundamentalism, they all have an impact on groups of people and see labels being tagged creating "identity politics" as tribes go to virtual war. 

The simple thing for us to do is to deflect by pointing the finger to blame the government, the media, immigrants or anyone other than ourselves as we search for the culprit outside of our tribe, but in the village that is responsible for raising the child, we need to understand it is the same village we belong to which is responsible when the child is being abused. Acknowledging our own culpability requires intense reflection and a self-audit to see if we have been the best we can be and in fact have we truly lived up to the solemn oath every American undertook on more than one occasion since they were a child. That oath I speak of is of course “The Pledge of Allegiance” A pledge that one day soon I may take if I am deemed desirable and not seen as a threat to national security. Words are very important to me and it is the power of words that lay at the very foundation of the "Home of The Brave" with its remarkable constitution that has stood the test of time despite attempts to interpret the intent to serve a few who see themselves more deserving because they are more equal.  

“I pledge Allegiance to the flag

of the United States of America

and to the Republic for which it stands,

one nation under God, indivisible,

with Liberty and Justice for all.”

The question I ask on this auspicious day to those who have taken this pledge is, has everything you have done, either by word or deed, ensured these United States was indeed “Indivisible”? Have they bridged the divide or widened it?

The constitution certainly is not a mandate for compliance because its charges every citizen to keep the country on the course set by its founding fathers and demands from its citizens to not be compliant to tyranny, so then how do we ensure we can unite a country without surrendering to the very fear that divides it? This is the tragic beauty that defines America, the love of freedom and justice for all is shackled by a haunting legacy that can not be denied. Telling people to just move on, let it go is disingenuous when the scales are yet to be balanced as transgressions of social injustice continue in a system burdened by an inherited bias.

History has valuable lessons to teach us about conflicts with Great Britain, Japan, Germany North Vietnam, and to a lesser degree Italy. We achieved reconciliation with former wartime enemies which included in one global conflict, nuclear devastation. How were we able to reconcile this in under 30 years yet the issues from a civil war remain such as the struggle for equality for African Americans which continues to still harbour great angst and bitter pain today, not to mention the injustices of first nation peoples and other minorities?

Authentic contrition seems to be lacking, making it more difficult to forgive. Today the effects of segregation and discrimination which were embedded into the system, and even the constitution found its way to town planning. The architects of our communities deliberately designed to disadvantage minorities and provide privilege to the whites. This ensured that to remove the prejudice of zip codes, its going to require all of us to find common ground to be truly united.

Lets hope our unity will not be through another war or a 9/11 but rather through the courage to be kind. To play the ball rather than the person and to relinquish the safety of silence and speak up, to do what is right rather than what is popular and to offer a helping hand rather than walk on by. To do this requires us to recognise and respect the value of everyone in our community even the unkind and to do that in a world that has become all about self is going to require us to have a conversation in a safe space.

Its a long road ahead and it is not our differences that divide us, it is fear and indifference. Indivisible does not mean complying to a toxic status quo, its remaining indivisible despite our differences refusing to succumb to the division of fear and hate. Through hosting difficult "Conversations In Kindness", not only can we traverse the divide, we can find a way to bridge it and it is with this we have decided to have uncomfortable conversations America struggles to have in a safe space on October 27 in Los Angeles which will be live streamed over 12 hours. If you would like to participate in the conversation register here and for more information watch this 3 min video . We are seeking bridge builders.