Better than defeating Trump’s supporters, let’s heal them and convert them to better values. And let’s heal ourselves too.

In the past few decades the U.S. has become increasingly polarized — and increasingly rigid — and mutually hateful to the people on the “wrong” side of issues.  This is NOT sustainable for democracy, nor for a free society, nor for human rights. 

People in each of the two big political parties want to DEFEAT members of the other party through dynamics that seem warlike or genocidal.

Trump has escalated the polarization horribly, not only across political parties, but also across races, nationalities, religions, sexes, sexual orientations, economic classes, and other demographic variables.  THIS IS NOT SUSTAINABLE, but people in both big political parties keep feeding into it.

 

How about if we stop thinking of other people as the enemy and understand that polarization itself is the enemy?

 

Instead of trying DEFEAT Trump’s supporters and Republicans and other people who are consumed by fears and hatreds, what if we were to figure out HOW TO HEAL their fears and hatreds?

For that matter, how about healing our own fears and hatreds?  (Polarization works BOTH ways!)

 

Political parties and non-profit organizations and other entities on BOTH sides keep stoking fears and hatreds of “the other.”  This is tearing our society apart.

Can’t we settle down, examine our inner hearts (our “best angels”), and figure out HOW TO HEAL?

About GlenAnderson 1499 Articles
Since the late 1960s Glen Anderson has devoted his life to working as a volunteer for peace, nonviolence, social justice, and progressive political issues. He has worked through many existing organizations and started several. Over the years he has worked especially for such wide-ranging goals as making peace with Vietnam, eliminating nuclear weapons, converting from a military economy to a peacetime economy, abolishing the death penalty, promoting nonviolence at all levels throughout society, and helping people organize and strategize for grassroots movements to solve many kinds of problems. He writes, speaks, and conducts training workshops on a wide variety of topics. Since 1987 he has produced and hosted a one-hour cable TV interview program on many kinds of issues. Since 2017 he has blogged at https://parallaxperspectives.org He lives in Lacey near Olympia WA. You can reach him at (360) 491-9093 glen@parallaxperspectives.org