Seeking Unity and Healing
Our world is fragmented. Wars rage. Corruption and lies are the standard operating procedure for a fascist administration. The rich build their obscene fortunes on the backs of the poor, who struggle to pay for gas and food. Our nation and world is deeply divided. However, we don’t have to accept that this is how it will always be. We do not have to live this way. We are fully capable of coming together and creating a world where everyone can thrive. Regrettably, we’ve made idols of self-reliance and capitalism, which only nurtures the greed and selfishness that lies at the root of our multitude of problems. If we are going to change the world, if we are going to save the world, we need to find a way to heal our divisions and work together for the common good.
The poet John Donne famously declared that no one is an island. We’re all dependent upon each other. We all need each other. Not only are we connected with other human beings, but we’re connected with all life – animals, plants, the earth itself. Recognizing the truth of our inter-dependence is the first step to coming together, to achieving a unity that will allow us to thrive. But it’s only the first step. We need to nurture our connections with respect, compassion, and empathy for our neighbors and enemies alike. Only when we truly begin to understand the plight of others as our own fate will we be able to create something truly wonderful that allows all life to flourish.
Unfortunately, our connections are often manipulated by the rich and powerful who see personal profit in keeping the world in chaos. Using our superficial similarities and differences, they divide and conquer, a tried and true strategy of destruction whether it be for war, politics, or economics. When our President lies and demonizes immigrants or transgender people, he’s employing the strategy of divide and conquer. Get the people fighting amongst themselves and they can be robbed blind and they’ll not even care. If you can get one group to hate another group enough then they’ll put up with any kind of corruption and hardship as long as the hated group gets it worse.
Some might even think that acting and thinking the same as those around us is being unified. Would-be authoritarians tell us that everything will be fine if we just be who we’re told to be and do and say what we’re told to do and say. Rocking the boat becomes the greatest sin. Those that refuse to toe the line, who don’t adhere to the approved views, are demonized as a threat to unity. Those who don’t fit the approved molds are rejected and marginalized. So much of the world’s violence and oppression results from the fear of people not like us, resulting in racism, sexism, nationalism, homophobia, transphobia, and so on. This idea of unity as an enforced sameness, the desire to make everyone and everything fit into neat boxes, to be clear cut, true or false, doesn’t bring us together. It actually drives us apart, declaring everything that doesn’t fit must be destroyed.
We fall for this kind of evil manipulation because when we rally around some kind of invented commonality such as race, it gives us a sense of belonging and meaning. It gives us identity, albeit a misguided one. It gives a temporary boost to down-beaten egos to think that they’re better than someone else. But it’s all a con. Living in this kind of us vs. them mindset only keeps us divided and subjugated. If we truly want to change the world for the better, we need to move to deeper truths.
We are all wonderfully and beautifully different but there is still an underlying connection between us and that connection is God. The realization of our connectedness, getting in touch with the divine love that dwells within each of us and our neighbor, teaches us treat each other with respect, compassion, and empathy and allows us to work together for the benefit of all. Think of waves. Each wave is unique, different sizes and shapes, moving at different speeds, with different experiences. Some encounter rocks or shorelines and others don’t. Waves are constantly forming and reforming, dying and resurrecting. And yet all of those infinitely unique waves are of the same body of water. In their complexity and difference, there is still a fundamental one-ness. Now instead of water, think of God’s good creation as waves of love. We are each a unique expression of God’s love yet we are of the same divine body. In our complexity and difference, there is still a fundamental one-ness.
No one group of people is any more worthy than any other group of people. All life is divinely created, good, and worthy. Ultimately, there is no us vs. them. Only us. And we’re destroying ourselves. The only way we are going to be able to turn back those who would prey on the marginalized in order to fill their own bank accounts is to refuse to be divided. True unity recognizes that our uniqueness, our diversity and differences, are our strength. It brings together all of our unique talents and perspectives in the service of the common good. Our future depends on our willingness to come together as one people and protect each other. It depends on our willingness to stand up for LGBTQ people. For immigrants. For the poor. For the homeless. For everyone who is marginalized and at risk. Loving each other when we’re all the same is no great feat. But loving each other in our differences is a true witness to the power of love. And it’s the only way we can come together in unity and heal our world.