Keep your friends close

We woke today to another crisis of national identity. Political violence carried out by the self-righteous. Failing governance driven by greed.  

It’s no surprise that people say they’re going to move away from here. To escape from points of view they abhor. To seek the company of people who share their views only. Somewhere other than here. Somewhere else.

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People who say they’re going to go sometimes present the idea as a cynical threat. Other times it’s an earnest promise. Depending on the emotion of the moment.

When I am still and quiet during times like these, it’s easier to see that the urge to escape, to limit my exposure to “them”, is a death sentence.  

Voyager 1 communicated as much. Shared with us its view of a lonely blue dot shrinking in the distance. The harshest conditions imaginable outside the thin bubble in which we swim – all life on earth.

We live in a closed system.  There is no escape from our shared fate, but we have the power to reach paradise together. The only choice that positions all of us to win, is the decision to work together. That is why “love thy neighbor” is a commandment.  We are one with each other by design.

We can be angry. We can feel entitled to judge those who have learned different lessons from the experience of their life. But we must find a way to live together. If we can't work side-by-side, we will die alone.