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If the last few years have taught us anything, they should have taught us about the damage that can be done by a divided nation. We are not red and blue states. We are the United States of America, even though many of us seem to have forgotten this. As President Lincoln pointed out during the Civil War, a divided house cannot stand. Do we need to go through another Civil War to learn this lesson? I hope not.
I would appeal to all of you to get control of your feelings and emotions. We are all in the same boat. And even though we may not agree with or even like many of our fellow crew mates, we need to put these differences aside and focus on the things that we can agree on and do agree on. We all want good jobs that pay well. We all want good and affordable healthcare. We all want an educational system that prepares our children for the future and provides a healthy environment for them to grow up in and raise their children in. And we want to secure retirement for seniors. These are just some of the things that we agree on. There are many more.
We do agree on much more than we disagree on. We should focus on these things and on how to achieve them rather than focusing on our differences. Working out our differences will take a very long time. But if we start focusing on what we agree on, we can start rowing the boat that we are all in in the same direction. Divided, we cannot achieve the goals that we share. Together we can.
Connect with others, even those who you may not agree with. Communicate with them. Most of us have been spending way too much time in our echo chamber. Try to understand why those you disagree with see things the way they do and, again, focus on the things that you can and do agree on.
Be flexible. Don't isolate. We do not need any more walls or silos in this country. Don't take your feelings of frustration out on others, especially those you don't agree with and that you may dislike. Find other ways to vent your anger and unhappiness. Think before you speak. And realize that your fate, our fate, is a common one.
We can heal the wounds of the past. Be patient with yourself and with others.
