Split Among Friends

I am 64, my limited hair is going in all directions because of the virus's limitations, and I am not sure how to envision my future life. 

As I am prone to do, I revert to my past to understand what is going on around me. For whatever reason, I find solace in remembering how I have confronted and solved past issues, what has shaped my thinking, and what lessons I have learned in the process. Today's Covid-19 is forcing me to confront many conflicting ideas about life, finances, and the pillars of our society. If you would, please come with me on my observations about where we are today.

Having been born in 1955, I have learned (thankfully) that my thinking has evolved since that time. As a child and a teenager, the globe was spinning, but I was primarily worried only about me--did not have great interest in much other than family, friends, sports, and reading. Certainly, I was aware of life's events because of the newspaper's influence, but politics carried no power for me. Arriving at college, however, awakened something dormant . . . an awareness of life beyond my nose. Today, though, I am acutely aware of such divisiveness within our society, allowing me to examine other comparable moments in my lifetime.

Sitting here today, I can think of five life-altering historical events that have provided significant splits in American attitudes. Certainly, others could have made my list, but these seem to be the "biggies," listed in chronological order.

1. The Civil Rights Movement: I became aware of the racial inequality in junior high school and later in high school when I read any "Black" literature Indian Valley South's and Gnadenhutten's libraries could offer. Novels like The Contender, Black Boy, and Native Son fueled my interest, but having no practical experience interacting with people of color prevented me from having first-hand knowledge of the issues. I was certainly aware of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s prominence, but it was not until Cassius Clay/Muhammed Ali took his stand against the country's military obligations that I began to notice a rising national issue. To best understand, readers must recognize that this time period held limited barriers to racial names--the "n" bomb was not prevalent but it was present, "colored" was a term that I later determined was derogatory, and other deflating labels were also common. When I would hear my dad use those words, I just assumed that they were acceptable. Thus, my mind was certainly shaped by the culture in which I was raised. In time, my views took a 180, primarily because I had to overcome much immaturity and I had exposure to races other than white people like me. That combination forced me to overcome any bias that I had carried. I like to think that today I am far beyond that limited thinking. My point is simple: The Civil Rights issue divided people in our country--we only need to look at the history books to understand that. Each of us has his or her own story to tell regarding those times, attitudes, and biases, but I feel comfortable in saying that the race issue that struck a chord in the '50s and '60s caused so much disruption in our society that even today its ugly head still rises to the surface. As a point, I remain convinced that many--definitely not all--resented that a black man was elected as our President. It may seldom be admitted, but I sense that belief remains slightly beneath the surface. 

2. The Vietnam Conflict: A touchy subject even today for so many reasons, but the reality is that this war clearly divided our country by age, race, political beliefs, and activist reactions. I have studied this conflict extensively, and, along with my students, have written oral histories of so many veterans who will always be held in my highest esteem. From my knowledge, I conclude that time period resulted in the best we could offer while also hitting us with our worst. I need not elaborate to a great extent, but if we examine the May 4, 1970, Kent State Shootings, for example, we get a vivid picture of our country's unrest. Torn between either defending our country whether dedicated to the war effort or not or fighting what many felt was an unjust war, young people were faced with a confusing dilemma. As time wore on, the war's power grew old, ultimately leading to our departure from Vietnam in a way untypical of American war history. That war--unlike the others that Americans had fought--gradually undermined our confidence and trust in our country's leaders . . .seems to me that long-ago war still creates the roots of our unrest today. 

3. Roe vs. Wade: This extremely divisive court decision distinctly drew lines for many between life and death, morality versus immorality, and religious views versus women's rights. Today's current Conservative movement appears to be hell-bent on altering this abortion decision, thus partially explaining the major push to seat conservative-thinking judges, particularly in the nation's Supreme Court. Continuing to hold heavy weight, this issue remains a dividing element in our society. My barber, for example, tells me that he is not a "true Trump guy," but he is convinced that  Republicans "oppose abortion," so that is why he sides with the President. I have heard it from others as well that "women should not have the right to determine what they do with their own bodies--our country must legislate abortion to be illegal." Please understand that this remains a much-discussed issue in the Democrat versus Republican perceptions. Again, this issue divided back then, and it still is now.

4. Donald Trump: Never have I seen such a polarizing figure sit in the President's office. His strategies for unifying have been met with much despair and opposition while at the same time fueling a sometimes feverish devotion to his personality and his positions. Reasons for both sides vary, of course, but we are living through a time that has definitely polarized us. Conversations regarding him can easily deteriorate into heated arguments, only reaffirming the old saying that "we should never discuss politics at the dinner table." Whether his approach has been effective will be determined in the short term by the November election and in the long term by the way history regards him. Today, we have opinions, but the future will determine his true impact, just as it has with any other President. No matter how we cut that Trump pie, the man has created sharply divided sides that have certainly disrupted our society's advancement.

5. Covid-19: Living history, as the saying goes, is where we are. Lines in the sand are being drawn as I write this: 

        "The governor is incompetent" OR "The governor has been such a leader"; 

        "Dr. Acton is an un-elected person, so she needs to shut up" OR "Dr. Acton has been so impartial to politics that it's refreshing." 

Got the picture? The split is alive and well--where it ends remains to be seen. I do chuckle sometimes because I remember reading a saying once that made such sense to me: 

          "Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people"

I am afraid we are in such a quandry at the moment that we too frequently resort to attacking people first--perhaps that is a result of anger and frustration, but I strongly sense that our country's fragility is being exposed at this moment. We will see if this holds true.

A bit lengthy today, for sure, but I suggest that all five of these events hold much in common. All have led to splits, many of which are still simmering. Will we learn anything from where we are, or will our society take an abrupt turn into something none of us even want to envision?