A Plea For Dissolution

At the beginning of what promises to be a long, hot, unfortunate two month period, I once again make my plea to seriously consider dissolution of the Union.

The events of the summer - and year to date for that matter - indicate that, simply, we are no longer one people.  We have two very different views of politics, the world, and (in fact) civilization itself.

In point of fact, we are already at the point of two (or more) nations.  Yes, I know, one nation and all that, but in point of fact we face a situation where a segment of the population wants nothing but violence and a very different country and on the other hand, a group of people that - it seems - are being drawn to the point of deciding that if no one else will act on their behalf, they will.

We have been atomized to the point where the two sides really have not a single thing in common.  Nor, it seems, is there any interest any more in finding commonalities. For one side, a desire to just live their lives.  On the other, a desire to enforce by violence a new social order.

And are there any remaining commonalities?  I am not sure, nor am seeing any on the horizon that would change that opinion.  One side calling the other "enemies of the state" and "the side of darkness" is hardly likely to evoke any sense of wanting to let bygones be bygones.

To be clear - this is not meant to be a discussion of race, religion, ethnicity, sexuality, or social background.  These are no longer where the lines appear.  This is a line between people that see violence as progress to the point of gaining power, then violence as a means of enforcing that power and the population as a taxable base to create a Utopian society and those that simply want to live their lives with as little interference from the government as possible.  So let us at least have clarity on that.  It is a disagreement about philosophy and direction instead of any of those other things.

(Usual comment here about how we do not discussion politics et al here.  As usual, we discuss concepts and theories.)

Civil wars have started for less.

We no longer share a national consciousness.  We have ceded the ability to have meaningful discussions about policy and beliefs.  We have carefully discarded, one by one, the ties that bound us together.  And every organization that has the potential to bring us together has either been consciously eviscerated or unconsciously surrendered its power to do so.

I write this with a heavy heart.  I grew up in a nation-state that had unifying characteristics and a sense of "us".  I deplore the use of violence to accomplish an ends - but I equally deplore the idea that one side should sit, endlessly a target of the other with those that should know better doing and saying nothing.

I know - divorces are never easy.  At the best of times, they are unpleasant - legalities, who gets what, which set of friends do you want to keep versus who do I want to keep.  At worst, they are bitter fights full of words of hate.

But a divorce can far exceed the years and years of bitter fighting, unhappiness, and social destruction that can also occur as a result.

Please.  Can we just agree that we no longer want to be together and separate on okay terms instead of continuing to pretend that somehow things will work out when in point of fact we know they will not?