“The lowest ebb is the turn of the tide”
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The last few weeks have been agonizing for our country. All of us witnessed the unspeakable pain experienced by Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh, their families, as well as the many men and women touched by sexual misconduct. How can we heal? How do we turn the tide?
I believe it starts with “we, the people.” We can heal our nation if each of us makes a commitment to pursue civil and respectful behavior and conversation with those on the opposite side of the political divide. Since this is difficult, it works best to start with someone we respect, care about, or love.
Here is my experience. I was opposed to the Judge’s confirmation. I have two close friends who supported his nomination. We tearfully talked about our differences, but avoided anger or incivility. I greatly respect these two women. Their views did not change my opinion, but the conversations helped me better appreciate the depth and complexities of the issues. The fact is that sometimes smart and good people just don’t agree. When you confront this truth in your life, as I did with my friends, it is painful and confusing. But this is how we can learn to be respectful and civil to those who disagree with us on any of the many divisive issues confronting us today. This is how we will turn the tide.
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Dr. Donna Chacko promotes health of body, mind, and spirit through her website (serenityandhealth.com), her blog, and programs at her church. She is the author of the award-winning book and Amazon best-seller Pilgrimage: A Doctor’s Healing Journey (Luminare Press, 2021). You can read her full bio here.
Additional Reading
The divisions in our country are disheartening. We are a people divided over race, politics, religion, gender, and more. I’m convinced that if each of us took just one intentional small step in a better direction, we could heal our nation—not quickly, but we could do it. Here are eight ideas.