Every four years we have an election that stretches our country thin along the political spectrum. But after each November our political divisions slowly fade and the social fabric waves freely once again. This time, however, I'm worried that we may not get that far. I'm worried that we are watching it rip.
Take a look at the anger foaming over at rallies. The slurs hurled at those whose families come from other countries or speak other languages. The protesters claiming fraud or a rigged system when their candidate doesn't win. None of this is unique to this year's election, but it's taking place publicly on an unprecedented level. We are goading an angry and socially destructive genie out of a bottle with no clue how to stuff it back in.
To some, this collective anger is an unfolding revolution. For others it is the beginning of a scorched-earth down-with-the-establishment policy approach. And for a final group it is catalyst for catapulting America toward great nation status. For what it's worth, here's my humble opinion: they are all wrong.
Let me put it pretty simply. Any idiot with a stick of dynamite can blow something up. But it's much harder to assemble a team of committed craftsmen and builders, cobble together sufficient resources, and develop a shared vision of what to build.
And right now we aren't even trying to build, we are only trying to blame. We've allowed ourselves to slide into the politics of anger and fear, of group name-calling, where the others--be they immigrants, bankers or supporters of the other candidate--are stupid, crazy or corrupt. We've forgotten that these nameless individuals are often our neighbors, doctors, teachers, friends and family members.
Of course, it's hard to build a shared vision on anything in a country like America with so many backgrounds, heritages, beliefs and ideologies. Since no group holds the monopoly on what it means to be American, then characteristics like race, religion or culture don't do much to define us as a people or to lay out a path forward.
Instead, to be American is to share a set of beliefs and values and to tirelessly pursue liberty, freedom and justice. It's what bound us together hundreds of years ago and it is what binds us together today. These are our central values and the ones we should be building from, ensuring that our justified anger is channeled toward creating a better future and not dividing our communities.
The problem arises when we allow emotions to become inflamed without a path for what comes next, when we aim our anger at our fellow citizens, and when we let our rage burn with no attempt to cool it down. This November election may come and pass, but healing the growing divisions within our communities and building real solutions will take much longer. So stop, take a deep breath and remember, we're all Americans.
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Antonio Garza is a former U.S. ambassador to Mexico.
Editorial on 08/21/2016