A House Divided

Not too long ago I reread what has come to be called President Lincoln's famous "house divided speech." The specific quote that gave and continues to give this particular speech its wings is this: "A house divided against itself cannot stand." What helps give this phrase such power is the fact it is as relevant in today's world as it was when Lincoln first spoke them regarding the divisive debate over slavery. Our nation has never been more divided than it was in the months and years leading up to the Civil War. While I certainly do not believe our nation is headed for another civil war, there is no doubt that a great unrest exists within our borders, one that does not seem to be showing any signs of losing momentum.

I love debate. I love differences of opinion and believe different perspectives on any given issue are healthy. I do not want everyone to march to the beat of the same drummer, nor do I want to be part of a society that lacks or frowns upon free speech. At the same time, I do love being part of a society that reveres tolerance. But what disturbs me about much of the current division in our nation is so much of the debate seems to be riding on the backs of those who are intolerant and disrespectful. It is what I call "blind debate" in which people's idea of interaction involves talking at rather than with each other. Not only does that not get any one anywhere, but it makes people want to shout even louder at each other. Sadly, that is not so much communicating as it is noise making.

My solution is our nation needs more debate and less noise. Not only do we need cooler heads, but we need cooler heads with good communication skills. All of us who feel passionate about many of the issues of the day and are convinced that our perspective is the right one, need to remember that we are never going to gain agreement or lasting regard for our positions unless we accept the reality that we must listen to what others are saying, understand their perspectives, identify those points on which they and us agree, and then begin to patiently and respectfully build on that consensus. Bullies may get their way, but the compliance they receive never has more than a limited shelf life.