Divided But United
I heard someone say, after the election when Joe Biden was declared the next president of the United States, that we should take heart in our ability as citizens of this great nation to understand that we are still two sides struggling to compromise with one another. We tend to do this, time after time. Yes, we are inherently divided in our views and in what direction we think the country should be taking. I think this gives us reason to celebrate because for over 244 years we have been figuring it out, learning how to co-exist as citizens, mostly.
We tend to compromise because we want the same things: a good full life, having enjoyed the accoutrements of the American dream. We want to get along and not feel strife and anger everyday. We want nice things on occasion. We want to see our babies grow up in a safe world. We want to worship and be spiritual in our own ways, without other people commenting on our beliefs. We want to work at a job where we feel needed and challenged. We want moments to play and enjoy our loved ones’ company. We want to die as old people still in our right minds, surrounded by those who cared for us most. Wanting all these things, and more, are surely what keeps us civil and vested in this country’s overall health. We must see this, right?
I say all of that, mostly because it’s impossible not to comment on society at this moment in time, but also because I have been thinking about my initial group of respondees - those who took the time to write little notes and feedback to the questionnaire. Some said they “enjoyed attending an integrated school.” What this suggests is that even in times of distress and uncertainty, we humans can recognize the value of the lesson(s) being learned. I wonder about those young kids back then, who looked across the desks and saw someone who looked unfamiliar to them. Certainly, there was fear. But perhaps as children, they were more equipped to handle the doubts that welled up inside them. Perhaps they were more equipped to accept the oddity of it all. Perhaps this is why, all these years later, they can look back optimistically and say, “I had a great experience.”
Sometimes we expect things to turn out poorly, especially when we preface our expectations with fear and doubt. When we look back on integration, do we find that the experience surpassed the expectations, partly because the expectations were so low in the first place? Perhaps, when we look back, we see that even though we took our “separate but equal” selves into direct contact with other groups of “separate but equal selves,” we found that we could live even better lives together, no matter our differences.
What are the ultimate lessons we might learn at this point? This is the question that I am truly hoping to uncover. As our recent election proves, these are times that are full of doubt and fear; we are still a nation divided in how we see the country. Are there lessons to be learned from last century’s integration? Are our ideals not all that different when we sit down and name them?