ALL THINGS THAT MATTER: February 2016

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Sheep & Goats: A Nation of Extremes

"... and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats."

Have we become a nation of extremes? We have always been diverse in our political/social ideas, with the middle road, the golden mean, usually the road we have traveled. The views of Trump vs Sanders are polar opposite in political ideology. This is not new, there have been many historical political figures whose ideas were diametricaly opposed. So what's different?

The difference is that it appears that the middle is gone. Not only are the candidates divided, but the views of the electorate appear to have also migrated to the extreme. Perhaps this has been building over time. America has frequently been divided over the issues or civil rights, welfar, health care, immigration, education, and the economic dominance of corporate America and Wall Street. Can't help but wonder if we should have even fought the Civil War. Perhaps we are so divided that we should be two nations. More often than not we have managed to come together in the middle, but can a nation so divided endure? I think Lincoln had thoughts on this.

We are treading on dangerous ground.