By Kate Chumley, Guest Writer
The house is cold and bare. The shutters covering the dusty windows are shutting out the outside light. The rooms match the feeling of the house. There is emptiness within the house and there is no welcome. The house did not start out with this jarring fear for all who lived in it. It once lived with warmth. It wasn’t perfect, but no house is perfect. The house is divided with rooms and that is what our country turned into. Division. Now more than ever, the political polarization within the United States has turned individuals against one another. Families are divided about how their government should enact policies. Forcing a model agenda that aligns with a certain political party. We allowed parties to reside in the comfort of their rooms and hard conversations with a lack of respect. The rooms are no longer welcoming and so are our political discussions.
There is something very special about our country. Although it is not one of the oldest countries, there is so much beauty. We as Americans have the fortune to live in a country that continues to want a difference. We must redefine the positive impact we intend to make as active members of society.
The United States of America will celebrate its 250th birthday in July 2026. The rarity of a nation maintaining a continuous government structure is an impressive accomplishment. In the 21st century, political parties have drifted toward extreme ideologies. Consequently, many Americans prioritize party identification even when their personal beliefs do not fully align with the party platform.
A constitutional republic once known for unity and bringing together into a melting pot. According to Facing History, the overlap between the political values of Democrats and Republicans shrank between 1994 and 2017, as the share of Americans with ideologically consistent values increased.
Jenna Bush Hager sat down recently with the remaining former presidents to commemorate the 250th celebration of America. The objective for each president was to broadcast how much hope they have for our country in times of distress. Former President Barack Obama envisions our country to reflect when it is hard to see hope.
“If we extend respect and thoughtfulness to our fellow citizens, even if we disagree with them, if we understand that part of this democratic project is to sort through our differences in peaceful, legal ways, then I’m confident we’ll have another 250-year run that’s going to be just as good,” Obama said.
Rather than pitting people against each other we drive for moments like having different presidents, with different agendas, that can sit in the same room with tolerance for one another. The “Today” news story allowed people to unite on the matter of bridging a gap of reality.
Social media has been a powerful tool but has deceived so many Americans by portraying politics in a certain light of hatred. The stewing of comment sections and misleading information has grown the wedge even more. People are taking the news being presented from unreliable sources as gold. The issue is, the false news isn’t ending. Echo chambers are created to where people are creating their algorithm to only display concepts of half truths. The chambers are finding ways to fuel deconstruction within groups. Taking on misinformation is a hard concept when social media and technology is throwing rapid news into the palms of our hands.
The lack of credibility, people are seeking political parties that may not align with their personal ideologies and are falling for lies. Adopting irrational ideologies grows the tension within the household.
Staying within the echo chambers of extreme political beliefs not only builds a level of misinformation but also seeks ways to distrust members of the different party. It has allowed people to grow intolerance for different perspectives because it is aligning with algorithms of their feed. The mixture of algorithms within technology and news coverage take their platform to divide Americans. According to Facing History, the consequences of polarization even lead to Congress being more likely having difficulty passing legislation, while campaigns and partisan media can become more divisive.
Political polarization is a hard concept to dissect and can lead to heated conversation especially with strangers, but now it is more than that. Family gatherings are becoming loud arguments across the table. There is a shared fear among individuals when politics get mentioned at the dinner table. The fear leads to holding their breath in hopes that nothing bad will happen next. Sadly, family members are missing because of opposing beliefs.
Now more than ever, we are seeing the negative effects. By seeing how people are allowing their lens of life to be dictated by popularized political leaders. I believe that different ideologies are acceptable and a given right within the United States but the lack of respect has lingered too long. We allowed hate to be our first source of action. Pushing for a hateful agenda has become a new source to think positive results will occur.
Though some would believe that political parties indicate distance between parties means voters have more distinct options, making it easier to determine which party better represents their interests. Or people would argue that it causes more civic engagement. I don’t disagree that there are more strong distinction parties or more voters. I believe the intentions are not right. The intentions do more harm than good.
The New York Times states that “1 in 5 Americans (roughly 20–21 percent) have ended a relationship or become estranged from a family member due to political disagreements.” The arguments around the dinner tables are rising and loved ones are seeing ways to avoid what they love most because of the beliefs on how our country should be governed. Though family members can see opposing opinions of any topic, this tops the cakes as a theme of arguments.
Polarization is happening now and it’s happening within our households. The cobwebs are growing in the cabinets with the dining plate. We aren’t gathering with family members and we must see the hope and find forgiveness with a common ground in mind.
A big realization and step toward a hopeful future is seeing others as neighbors first. President George W. Bush believes that “one of the beauties of this country is that there are thousands and thousands of citizens who volunteer on a daily basis to help somebody in need. They’re often not heralded, but they make a huge difference to one person at a time. I would hope people would take a look at our history and realize we’re an imperfect nation trying to be more perfect. Be optimistic about the future of the country.” Once we realize that the greatest impact on people is service, then we can do much more than argue with one another.
As citizens, we must take the initiative to serve one another. Service is an action that gives genuine action of love for others. If we can start with the people around the table then we can build a bridge of seeing people as individuals rather than members of a party.
Taking the small steps to make a large impact would allow a chain of events to lead to the right direction. Ultimately it is important to do personal research with legitimate sources and learn the country’s history to avoid the mistakes of the past. These are ways to dust away the webs that are building on the house. It is key to take the initiative to open the shutters and bring the house as a place of welcome rather than avoid conversations.
Beauty is a great country to live in, and we have the potential as Americans to rebuild a place where it is okay to disagree and still come together for fellowship. There is hope for the future of America, I am not alone in my belief.
