Fellow blogger and marathoner, Jame Harris commented on my blog the other day about how this country feels very divided, not since Trump but for many years now. And I agree with his assessment.
We the people of the United States enjoy, among other things, a diversity that few other country can match. It is our cultural value and our so called “American spirit.” Something that unites us. So I started thinking why then are we so divided?
The reasons could be as varied as number of people you ask – race, sexual preference, religion, etc. But that is the diversity value which supposed to make us strong. Perhaps I am asking the wrong question?
In my reflection, I came across a post, titled “Love has no labels“, from two years ago that I believe offers a solution.
As I wrote two years ago, our biases are scripted by external environment. Maybe we need to focus more on our similarities than our differences. Love has no labels. Stripping away the labels we are the same.
If you have a different assessment please share.
Running with Buddha 
Interesting post. I think our consumerist culture is a significant reason we are so divided. Consumerism sells us ‘individual identity’ through brands. This creates lables and defines who people ‘are’ based on the clothing they wear, the gadgets they have, the car they drive, etc. It also places us into socioeconomic categories. And the irony is that comsumerism sells fake individuality because everyone can buy it if they have the means. As the disparity between haves and have-nots grows, there will continue to be unrest and blame.
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Good point. Beware of the marketers who try to sell products or services by feeding our egos and robbing our wallets. There are some exceptions. One comes to mind is the Coca-cola commercial that comes around during the holidays, “We like to teach the world to sing . . .” which builds on the common good of people (i.e. without labeling). So even in a capitalistic society, it’s possible to love without labels.
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So yes, stripping away the lables, we are the same. We all want food, shelter, safety, acceptance, and respect.
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