Where are the Better Angels of Our Nature?

Whatever the results of the coming election, the wounds that are opening across this nation will not soon be healed.

By Mark Jamison –

It looks as if they will get far worse as those who stoke anger, hate, fear, and division continue to revel in their cruelty.

On a recent trip to Atlanta for a medical appointment, I saw several billboards with a picture of Uncle Sam and the words “Democrats hate you” in stark black letters on a bright white background. What manner of political discourse is this? How can anyone claim to honor the Constitution while spewing divisive bile that turns “We the people” into “us versus them?” How can those who claim to follow Christ and his embrace of all as a neighbor turn his message into a vile rejection of the promise that the “fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith?”

A segment of our population has devolved into endless grievance and culture war. The same folks who so vehemently bemoan cancel culture are far too ready to ban books and attack their neighbors. It’s as if every accusation becomes a confession. Those who are most vociferous and self-righteous make a mockery of the ninth commandment, engaging in endless lies, claiming truth exists only to reinforce their beliefs, and that which doesn’t is “fake news.”

How can so many be deceived by con artists, grifters, narcissists, conspiracy theorists, and those with pretensions to authoritarianism? How can those who claim to embrace life be so callous and cruel to anyone who does not think or look like them? More disturbing are those who, for the sake of tax cuts that are largely a mirage for average folks, turn their heads in denial of what their partisans have become.

Our country has many challenges to face. Our economy is far too heavily weighted and controlled by billionaires who ensure their position by fostering discontent, turning Americans against each other. Our institutions have been attacked and demeaned by those who see power as the only meaningful measure. Our love and worship of money destroys our world and divides our communities. Hate, fear, and anger have replaced any sense of solidarity.

Whatever the outcome of the current election, we remain at a crossroads. We can fall prey to authoritarians who deny the basic tenets of democracy and a truly free people, or we can begin to bridge the differences that threaten to permanently tear us apart.

During his second inaugural address President Lincoln offered a prescription for healing in a time when the American experiment and its promise of equality, freedom, and justice was sorely put to the test. We should heed his words:

“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”