The Danger of "Us versus Them"
Beirut. Belfast. Rwanda.
Each of these locations burn themselves into my memory and conscience as I try to comprehend how normal people could be capable of such nonchalant evil. These are only two cities and one country, but they explain the inner chaos of the human spirit and the capacity for integrated populations to slowly unravel. I read through these historical accounts, and I find myself pondering if American cities could one day face similar moral turning points.
“Us versus Them” does not begin over days but centuries.
Historical memory is something that can be both a blessing and a curse for those that live their lives in its shadow. Many communities are defined by the deep roots of their ancestors. Irish Catholics hold fast to revolutionary memories dating back to the Norman invasion of the early 12th century. Lebanese Christians, Arabs, and Druze all cling to ancient historical roots. Hutu and Tutsi populations trace their divisions back to the mid-1800s. Each of these populations have found themselves at the mercy of “Us versus Them” mentalities, and each population has faced high amounts of bigotry, murder, and trauma as a result. This mentality is not confined to the shores of Ireland or the cities of Rwanda. Instead, these situations point towards a bigger issue within the human spirit.
It is much easier to inflict pain upon another, and it is much more difficult to provide compassion, truth, and peace.
Many proclaim that America tends to have short historical memory, and this is often-times more true than it isn’t. Yet, I find that even Americans have historically been capable of defining ourselves via in-groups and out-groups. It is much easier to say, “They don’t belong in this country," or, “They don’t deserve X, Y, or Z,” than it is to extend the olive branch and mend historical pain. Increasingly, I find this rhetoric to be a staple of both far-right and far-left leaning politics. I am deeply troubled at the road we are beginning to walk down as I look in the mirror of our current American reality. Too many politicians and pundits are labeling out-groups as ‘other,’ and too few are seeking to find positive ways to achieve restoration.
Chaos does not appear overnight. Rather, it is the long road following the path of least resistance which leads to neighbor turning against neighbor. I do not seek to incite fear and trepidation into the American spirit. Instead, I seek to point out that America is not above history and context. We must daily choose to pursue decisions that push against victimization, hatred, and bigotry in order to find way to speak life and hope into those around us.
America faces a turning point over the next century of its existence. We can either choose to pursue reconciliation. Or, we can turn into Beirut, Belfast, or Rwanda and fight to preserve what we want at the expense of the ‘other.’ History is ripe with examples of how internal division leads to dramatic destruction. May America not repeat what history has revealed.