In a nation whose name bears the term 'United', the divisiveness demonstrated between voters and parties, races and religions, civilians and authorities, lawmakers and advocates, those at the top of the pyramid and those at the bottom, and between the arrogant and the humble, the differences can certainly contradict the meaning. There's the stand your ground ideology and there's the ideology of coming together to compromise. In modern day politics, compromise can be seen as a dirty word, but in reality, we accomplish our goals more efficiently when we find common ground and embrace each other despite our differences, as a family of humanity.
Yes, Patriotism is love of country, but, as previously expressed, you can't love your country without loving your countrymen and countrywomen. Though individualism can be a good quality showcasing one's uniqueness, unity is what helped us defeat the British, unity is what got us through tough times, and unity is what will get us through issues in the future.
During this election cycle so far, through the media and social media, many of us have witnessed hostility towards immigrants who have trouble speaking English, hostility towards the LGBT community, hostility towards Muslims domestic and abroad, hostility towards the African American community with mutual hostility towards law enforcement as a whole, hostility between members of opposing parties and supporters of candidates opposing each other. When people speak out about certain issues they find important, others dismiss them as, in their own words "sheep".
There will likely be individuals all over who will condemn whoever dares to speak out in disagreement to their rhetoric, as it has been showcased with people having a simple opposition towards hostility others have demonstrated toward a subcategory of their fellow Americans. But many forget that, in this country, there are members of the LGBT community, minority groups, and different religions, including Muslims who serve us domestically and abroad. They fight for us in the military, they're the people who put out our fires and they're the first responders who revive us in life or death situations. When they carry out those heroic actions, they're not questioning one's racial, religious, sexual or occupational qualities, so why would you?
Hostility towards anyone or any group is never the solution to a nation's problems. We've learned that during tragic periods such as the Holocaust. Though some people think they mean the same thing, nationalism and patriotism certainly have their contrasts. A significant amount of nationalists display acts of hostility toward Americans who may look, think, love, worship or speak differently from them, while true patriots don't just show love towards their country, but love towards their countrymen and countrywomen in its diversity.
At the end of the day, ask yourself what qualities you would like to showcase to best represent this country. Will we be a nation of hostility, a nation of tolerance or, best of all, a nation of love? The choice is yours. Next time you see somebody that appears to be different from you, embrace them not just as a fellow American, but as a fellow human being. Unconditional love, charity, and choosing the moral high ground aren't just Christian values, Jewish values, or Muslim values--they are universal values and we all need to all live up toward those standards and display actions that unite us, not just as Americans, but a diverse, interdependent, interconnected family of humanity.
