Division and politics go hand in hand. We look at the situation; we choose a side; we become critical of the other side; repeat. Every issue that arises in our nation is tied to a particular party. It becomes nearly impossible to dissect what is partisan bickering and what is the heart of a topic.
I became particularly active in politics after the 2016 election. Before November 8th, I noticed that it became increasingly difficult to stay "moderate." You had to be either for or against a particular candidate, and whoever you were against, you were on the complete opposite side. We began to force people into parties whether or not they wanted to be there.
Everything became partisan.
When a person says "climate change is real" it might be taken as an attack on the Republican party. If a different person says they are a Christian, it might be considered a slight against the Democratic party. This polarization of beliefs encourages American citizens to pick a side and stay there. They are not allowed to believe something outside the party lines, and they certainly can't vote for an opposing party.
Ultimately, this jeopardizes our democracy. We become so divided that we are not willing to consider the different beliefs within our country. You are a traitor to your party if you vote against it. It seems as if your political party has become your religion. We refuse to vote on issues, instead voting on party lines. This divides our nation more than is wise.
We have seen what happens when half the country refuses to compromise with the other half.
Of course, there are beliefs that we should be willing to fight for, but these beliefs should not be directly tied to other beliefs because they are held within the party. We can disagree with those who are "other than us," but why can't we disagree with people within our party?
Democrats and Republicans alike are prone to believing that the other party is less tolerant, less intelligent and less moral than their own. They don't communicate and it seems to be more common that they cannot agree on anything.
If you are a Republican, it feels as if you are obligated to support and believe every word that the President says. If you are a Democrat, you are not allowed to praise Republican leaders. It is as if either party must only vote within itself so as not to "destroy our country."
Instead of polarizing every belief within our nation, we should strive toward compromise. We are allowed to disagree, but is it not possible to disagree more amicably?
We should strive together for a stronger country, whether or not we disagree. We all support one thing: the hope that we will leave our country better than we found it.
