There is so much divisiveness in our country today.  Unfortunately, division has become a part of our society.  It hits us in the face constantly, and sometimes it can even be between us and people we love and otherwise respect. Passions arise over everything from politics, to birth control, and gun control. If we disagree with someone, not only do we see different sides of an issue, but sometimes we get angry and try to change the other persons beliefs.  Due to this divisiveness we seem to be losing respect for each other.  There has always been disagreement.  It is this loss of respect and anger for the other side that makes me most uncomfortable.  I think a big reason for this comes from above. Our president reflects anger all the time. He shows anger to reporters whenever they bring up something he doesn’t want to talk about.  He has called politicians who disagree with him ugly and disrespectful names.  Instead of respecting other opinions and other people, he gets angry at anyone who disagrees with him.  Agree or disagree with his policies, his reactions aren’t the epitome of decency.  Great leaders welcome those with different opinions so that the discussion might lead to a solution.  This type of politics leads to an uncomfortable divide in our country.  However, this is not what I am thinking about right now.

There is a difference of opinion today that has valid arguments for both sides.  It’s more important than whether to have more guns, or less guns.  It’s even more important than right to life choices.  The Great Divide is over what to do about our country’s reaction to the pandemic and the situation that we find ourselves in.  We all know the facts.  The deaths from this will exceed 100,000 people in a VERY short time.  How we became the largest victim in the world of the Coronavirus doesn’t really need to be discussed in this moment.  There will be time for that later.  Now we need answers.  The question really boils down to which do we value more, the economy or our citizens lives.  The facts are pretty clear.  If we don’t open up our economy soon there will be more and more damage and it will take a long time to recover. I understand when a person says that they need to work to pay all their bills.  Most working people are not at the risk that older people are.  But if we open up the economy, as we are doing right now in so many states, the death toll will continue to rise, and most of those people who die will be over age 60.  If we don’t open up the economy there could be economic damage that takes years to reverse.  If we do it too fast many of our loved ones will die.

What an insane choice!

As time goes on, and the death toll reacts the way the experts say it will the Great Divide will get bigger.  Already people are saying to older, and more vulnerable people, “If you are worried, stay inside!  It’s your choice, but I have to go to work.”  I get that.  I’m over age 60 and don’t have the financial worries you have, but on the other hand, you don’t have the life and death worries I have.  What a terrible position we find ourselves in.

One thing I hope for is decency and understanding.  This will end, eventually, with either a valid treatment, and/or a vaccine.  In the meantime, let’s find common ground and respect for both sides.  I think we are angry because of the situation we find ourselves in, and not because others disagree with us.  And please believe the scientists, and doctors who are experts in this field.  This is not the first time we have faced a horror such as this.  The experts know what to do.  They don’t deal in opinions.  They deal in facts.  We must reject political answers or self-serving politicians on both sides of the aisle. The experts are all in agreement on how to handle this dilemma.  Let’s be grateful that we have such renowned doctors and scientists and follow their intelligence.