The Lack of Unity

Today's post comes from a reflection on unity (or lack thereof) in our world today. It seems as though we are all labeled with a descriptor or two pertaining to what we profess (e.g., liberal, conservative, red, blue). We then become encamped, if not in our own minds, with a group and find some level of belonging there. The unfortunate outcome of that describing act is that it limits us to those belief models espoused by the group we self-identify or is identified for us. Is this the path to health, wellness and wholeness?

Wholeness is almost be definition an absence of brokenness. How then do the labels that define our position in life work to increase or decrease our brokenness - as individuals, family units, neighborhoods, communities? To illustrate the question I offer the witness of my father-in-law. David grew up in the Northeast in a small town. He was born around the time of World War I and lived through the Great Depression. He came from Irish stock (a "Mick" as he labeled himself) and from a loving but tough home. David's world was defined by the situation he was born into and the circumstances of the labels that were ascribed to him. He labeled each and every person, by nationality primarily, and ascribed worth or lack of worth based upon that broad brush stroke. His world was walled off and had strict boundaries that couldn't be crossed (he couldn't date a Catholic girl). The boundaries hurt him psychologically and limited his world signficantly. He died with only a very few people who loved and cared about him.

I'd like to think that we've outgrown those kind of restrictions and artificial boundaries, but I know better. "Immigrant" is a perjorative as are race and ethnicity still. Though we are supposedly a "melting pot" and everyone has the freedome to pursue life, liberty and happiness, we have a great divide in our country. The divide is created by fear of the "other" and by the constant P.R. of groups who are warring against anyone who is not them. We have lost the meaning of "E Pluribus Unum" (translation: Out of Many, One) both in the public and private sectors.

Unity is necessary for us to become whole. As President Lincoln observed, "a house divided cannot stand" - so it is that our fractured society leads us to be in danger of collapse. This week, let us set ourselves to recover some unity - small steps are best. Start by working in your homes, then with your neighbors, then your communities, etc. Each step will increase our unity and offer us a shared vision of the future. With this, we will recover our path to wholeness.

Peace and unity,
Dan