The wall

Over the last few years our nation has been divided by a wall. This wall has sparked anger, division, and even hatred.

You might think I’m talking about the wall on our nation’s southern border, but I’m not. There is a wall which is far more important than any barrier on the border between the United States and Mexico.

While it’s become more accentuated in recent years, this wall has existed as long as humans have walked the earth.

Jew/Gentile

Black/White

Rich/Poor

Gay/Straight

Republican/Democrat

Pro-life/Pro-choice

Christian/Muslim

Black Lives Matter/Blue Lives Matter

I could fill pages, but you get the point. There is a lot of division in our world.

My experience has been that we usually expect the other person to move in order to reduce or eliminate the division. For example (and I know I’m over-generalizing), some rich people expect the poor to get a job. Some poor expect the rich to give them money.

Social media seems to exacerbate this problem even more. Trump supporters deride opponents by calling them stupid, unpatriotic, or libtards. Trump opponents attack Trump supporters by calling them racists, jerks, and closed-minded. I’ve even seen friends unload on one another through venomous comment threads that never seem to end.

What has happened to our country?

What we are doing doesn’t seem to be working. And I don’t think our leaders have the power to change it.

I don’t mean they don’t have the ability to influence. They absolutely do. But their ability to bring change has a border (see what I did there?).

The real catalyst for change is our individual lives.

Do you want to see a change? Stop blaming your opponents. Stop calling them names. Stop hurling insults. Stop talking at people.

If you want to build a wall to keep out the illegal immigrants, find immigrants and share a meal with them. I’m not saying you will or should change your political views, but maybe you can see them more as human beings, and less as a problem.

If you think those who want to build the wall are uncaring, find the most adamant supporters of the President and share a meal with them. You don’t need to discuss the merits of building or not building a wall, but maybe you can see their humanity a little more clearly.

If you live in a wealthy community, spend time serving at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen. Sit down with someone who doesn’t dress, smell, or live like you and look them in the eye.

If you think Christians are judgmental, narrow-minded people, visit a church and stay for a few minutes after and talk with someone.

If you think Muslims are terrorists, visit a mosque or some other place where Muslims gather.

If you feel uncomfortable with homosexuals, invite a homosexual couple over for dinner.

If you feel oppressed by white privilege, grab a coffee with someone who you feel lives in that privileged world.

Whatever makes you uncomfortable, find someone who represents that and spend time sitting face-to-face with them.

We have built way too many walls already in this world. Whether you think a barrier on the border is a good idea or not, I hope we can all agree that barriers between us and our fellow human beings is a bad idea.

If you want to change the tone of our world, do it one brick – or one life – at a time. Instead of looking across the street, across town, or across the globe for someone to blame or attack, look in the mirror and ask yourself what you need to change.

We all have blind spots and weaknesses. We all have prejudices and preferences. None of us are without fault.

Maybe if we could start by examining ourselves before excluding and attacking others, we could tear down many of the walls that divide us and move closer towards a world ruled by kindness, peace, and love for all of our neighbors.