Celebrate Democracy

I am writing this column shortly before July the Fourth. The day we celebrate the birthday of the greatest nation the world has ever seen. The great experiment in democracy that has changed the course of earth forever. A nation that values freedom and grants rights to each one of us regardless of background, race or religion.

I truly believe that each one of us are blessed to live where we do and to enjoy the rights and freedoms that we have been given. I believe we are here because of the hard work, sacrifice and dedication of our ancestors. We are safe and protected because of those who have served and sacrificed and for that I am humbled. We truly have much to be thankful for and we should celebrate that on our nation’s birthday.

Lately, I have seen things that have given me pause and caused concern for the future of our democracy. While we are the greatest and we are the leaders of the world, we need to be vigilant and protect the very things that make us unique and successful. I fear those things are under attack and we, as citizens, should fight against the forces that would divide us and allow our nation to crumble.

It appears we have fallen into a pattern of not being allowed to disagree. We cannot have a healthy debate where we value the opinions that are different from our own. I am not saying we need to change our values to meet others, but we need to listen to all points of view and consider them. We can be polite, listen and understand even when we disagree. That was one of the principals that helped us grow as a nation.

Instead we have fallen into a pattern of being ruled by the extremes with no middle ground. The art of the compromise seems to be a lost art and one that is sorely needed from the town hall level right up to our nation’s capital. Neither extreme is absolutely right, and no one is absolutely wrong and that is hard for some to understand. It appears we cannot talk about our differences without trying to shout the other side down.

Let me be clear, I am not asking you to disregard your values and your ideals. We should all have core values and ideas that guide us and to those we should always be loyal. However, that does not mean that we should not try to understand different points of view, even those that are diametrically opposed to ours. It has been proven that a debate can be had civilly and politely even between two people who do not agree on very much.

We have reached a dangerous tipping point in this country, one that could threaten our very fabric if it is left unchecked. We need to understand that this great nation was built on the idea that everyone is welcome, and all points of view can be shared but none are more important than others. We are ruled by the will of the people and I truly believe that the majority of those people live in the middle between the two extremes.

I am equally sure that to fix this problem we need to return to our roots and not allow the very ends of the spectrum to divide us. We need to make sure we voice our opinions and listen to the thoughts of our neighbors and do so without yelling or belittling the other side. We must understand that our forefathers understood compromise when they formed our nation, the art of working together is what has maintained our strength for so long and getting back to those roots is what will sustain our future. Without this we will continue to crumble and grow apart.

I hope I don’t sound to dire, but it is time to sound the alarm. We need the average citizen to wake up and take action. I truly believe that our nation is great, it can be saved, and we can do it, but the time has come for action. It is something that will have to start in our neighborhoods and at a local level. We need to teach our children civility and understanding. We need to model those traits and seek to understand all points of view.

Civility and compromise can work their way up to the very top of our government if we demand it. I am proud of this great nation and I will do everything in my powers to protect it both from outside attacks and from division within. I hope we will all display the flag on the Fourth and beyond no matter what our political leanings or station in life. That flag and this nation can and will remain the world’s leader if we all do our part and understand what makes us great.