An ongoing principle of America’s democratic republic is e pluribus unum. Out of many, one.
We honor and respect the uniqueness of every citizen. But we also have a common turf, a common set of transcendent values, that brings us together and we become one nation.
Sometimes, cracks appear. Sometimes, they grow and get larger and deeper. Things get dangerous when the cracks so severely deepen that they threaten to totally sever our common turf and our social cohesion.
Generally, the cracks reflect erosion of agreement about the nature of the core principles that hold us together.
We have arrived at the brink numerous times. But only once, the Civil War, did we cross it. Our principles were challenged over the question of slavery. It took the blood of individuals to heal the wounds of the nation.
For sure, I am not predicting civil violence in our country. But…
