First of all, before anyone comments on how I am being "divisive", let me say that unity is extremely important. Society is truly beautiful when all people of all walks and areas of life can come together and live in perfect fellowship. I am not arguing for a more divided United States or world, but what I am arguing for is a stop to the call for "unity" without addressing the problems that make true unity currently impossible.

Picture this, if you will:

You walk up on someone who has had part of a tree fall on them. They are pinned under and crying out in pain. Their screaming and struggling is disturbing all of the people nearby, so you ask them to be quiet.

"Help get this off of me so that I wont need to scream anymore!" They say.

But instead you insist that they simply be quiet so that they will quit disturbing everyone else.

This situation, to me, simply demonstrates our current issue and how many of us deal with it. Rather than help eliminate the reasons for their cries, you prefer to have them simply suffer quietly. If they were to just stop screaming in pain, then the discomfort afflicting everyone else would go away and life would go back to being peaceful. If you stop and try to life the tree off of them, then you and others could be inconvenienced and engage in the struggle that is causing such pain.

That's the issue with calling for "unity" but not trying to solve the underlying problems. All that you're really doing is telling someone else to shut up about whatever it is that they are crying out about so that you can have a fasle sense of peace. All that this creates is a false sense of unity for those who can afford to experience it.

Let's be clear on something: there is no true unity or harmony or peace while people still suffer needlessly.

Whether it is women calling for equal opportunity, people of color fighting for justice, immigrants and refugees hoping for a new life and the ability to maintain this life, members of the LGBTQ community longing for equal rights religious minorities arguing against discrimination, or any number of groups that are causing "division" in their struggle for freedom. If we truly want unity, we fight alongside them. We help them get the tree off of their body. We dont just tell them to stop talking so that we can continue on ignoring their struggles and pain.

This is why I am so tired of hearing calls for "unity". It seems like nearly every time I hear this, what I'm really being told is that the person under the tree should quit disturbing the peace; I hear a call for false unity and the continued state of inequality that crushes many in our great nation. So, rather than telling people to unify, let's try getting to the base problem that is causing them to cry out and "divide". Fight for the equity of humanity.

Here's a quick test you can do to see if you are really calling for a unified people:

1. Are you using "unity" as a word to guilt others into being quiet about what they see as struggles?

2. Are you avoiding empathizing and trying to understand that they are arguing against because doing so may make you uncomfortable or inconvenience you?

3. Are you unwilling to help them get to a point to where they are able to live in harmony, equality, and justice with the rest of society?

If you answered no to these, then congratulations, you truly are calling and fighting for unity. If you answered yes, find a different word to use or go back and try again.

1 Peter 3:8 of the Bible spells this out perfectly: "Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind." While this was specifically written to the Christian community, it applies to all people if we want to live in a better world. This idea is echoed throughout many different people groups, and if we truly want unity this is what we as humanity must strive for.

Don't tell the person in pain and trapped under a tree to shut up if you aren't willing to get down and help them out from under the tree.To put this non-metaphorically, you dont get to tell people to "create unity" if you aren't willing to seriously address any and all reasons they feel that they cannot.

Please, keep this in mind (especially for the next four years) as some people may create "division" in their fights for justice and equality.