Healing the divisions.
A goal of healing the divisions we see in society can feel overwhelming – especially when there seems little desire for inclusion.
The tendency to create separation between people who seem different or don’t share our views is all too common today. It is heartening to read actual solutions implemented in a loving manner.
Let’s consider contributing to unity by ending all sense of division in our own experiences as we read the excerpt from Steven Salt’s September 14, 2016 Cleveland.com article below. Then please click the link at the bottom to read the entire article.
No trespassing. Keep out. Violators will be …
Constructing borders and defending them seems an irresistible proclivity manifested on many levels. From national boundaries to backyard fences and even personal space, there is a strong impulse to establish lines of demarcation that separate us from each other for the purpose of safeguarding. There are consequences.
Territorial violations make the news everyday: illegal border crossings, mass immigration, international as well as personal property disputes, to name a few. The walls built to keep some in and others out are not confined to physical structures, but also ideated ones, less obvious but just as formidable. Barriers such as distrust, prejudice, indifference and hatred can seem more impenetrable than a barbed wire fence.
On the other hand, an instinctive drive to associate and unite with others impels us to connect. It is an interesting dichotomy: the desire to relate juxtaposed against fears that keep outsiders at arms length. Lifting the barricades that divide us along with the suspicions and angst they foster requires a rethink of accepted comfort zones and an acknowledgement of our native oneness.
We have seen it before. The evidence of unity abounds after tragic incidents and natural disasters when all come together in the aftermath to aid those afflicted. Drawing close together is also a natural inclination when facing a mutual foe. The healing effects of like-mindedness are tangible.
Yet, it does not take a common enemy to unite us. We can stand in solidarity as one family no matter the circumstances and despite the perceived differences that distinguish us from one another.
“One infinite God, good, unifies men and nations;” writes Mary Baker Eddy, “constitutes the brotherhood of man; ends wars; fulfils the Scripture, “Love thy neighbor as thyself;” annihilates pagan and Christian idolatry, — whatever is wrong in social, civil, criminal, political, and religious codes; equalizes the sexes; annuls the curse on man, and leaves nothing that can sin, suffer, be punished or destroyed.” That is accomplishing something!