Today’s United States is a place of deep division, both political and ideological. Few, if any, living Americans can remember a time when our country was more divided than it is now. And it’s clear this division may widen in the coming months and years. For this reason, we at PMC think this is a good time to remember the words contained in the Seal of the United States – E pluribus unum, or “Out of many, one.” Lively political discourse is essential for a healthy nation, but that discourse is now strained by polarization to the left and right. No matter how strongly our views may diverge, at the end of the day we are one. Many Americans seem to be forgetting this crucial fact right now. The more mindful we are of our national unity, the more peaceful we will be toward each other, despite our ideological differences. And who knows? If we can see beyond our political divisions, what’s to prevent us from defining our loyalties even more broadly? As Martin Luther King said so famously: “If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.” Here’s wishing us all some perspective in these tumultuous times.
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