Us vs. Them

Thank God I'm not like them!

Which god is that?

What are you talking about? I was talking about Them, not God.

OK. So who is Them?

You know, people who spend all their time and energy being divisive and critical of others.

I see.

Do you? It's really crazy! Take God for an example. You brought Him up. You have Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, New Age and countless others. And every one of them have sects that call themselves conservative, or progressive, or reformed, or radical, or whatever. And every member of every religion, sect or cult is told that they are the true believers and that every one else is wrong. And sometimes the differences are so small that an outsider wouldn't ever see the distinctions that are being drawn.

Well, man's view of God is pretty complex.

But it's not just religion. What about politics? In this country we have Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, The Green Party, The Reform Party, The Constitution Party, The Natural Law Party, and Independents. And of course there is a left wing (liberal) and right wing (conservative) faction to every one of these parties. Not to mention all of the special interest groups.

Special interest groups?

I thought I asked you not to mention them...? OK, a lot of people have one hot button that pretty well defines them politically. Pro-life and pro-choice are two of the biggies but there are many others. People seem to have drawn a line in the sand about things like guns control, environmental issues, social security, health care, border security, the war in Iraq, hybrid cars, legalizing certain drugs, highway speed limits, historical preservation, imminent domain, smoking, cell phones and pornography. There are literally hundreds of issues that people feel passionately about. And a lot of people believe that their one issue is the lynch pin that all of civilization turns on.

And you don't think there are pivotal issues?

Of course I do! But they can't all be pivotal. And it's ironic really. I don't think some of these people are really that passionate about their issues. I think some people like to stake out a position to give themselves the moral high ground, or to suck up to a narrowly defined group of voters, or to be seen supporting a cause, or to just join a group, or to merely be in opposition to the the other guy. Have you ever heard of divide and conquer? Sometimes politicians try to identify a way to slice off a sliver of his opponents base with one of these wedge issues. If he can find enough of them he may defeat the guy. But in reality he probably doesn't give a damn about any of the wedge issues he spouts. He just needs to be seen drawing a line in the sand.

That's the second time you said that. A line in the sand.

Borders. I guess it goes back to territories and perceived differences in people. Years ago, before modern technology and when there were less people it was easy to define Us and Them. They were the ones who dressed funny, or spoke in an unknown tongue, or ate different foods, or worshipped different gods, or treated their women differently, or had a different skin color or lived in cities rather than farms. So from rock throwing to stealth bombers people have found ways to protect their territories and keep out the differences. Whether its a line in the sand, or a rock wall, or a river, or an imaginary line on a map people have divided lands and territories. By the time populations grew and people began spreading out, the borders were so well established that people growing up 10 miles from each other could be mortal enemies because of that imaginary line.

But aren't people entitled to protect their territory and beliefs?

Of course they are. But we've gotten to the point where there are so many divisive issues and people have become so intolerant of anything that does not suit them to a tee that making small talk has become a minefield. Pretty soon everyone will have their own personal religion and political party and will be defined by nothing other than their own personal beliefs.

Aren't we already?

I guess so but where's it going to end?

I don't know. So tell me this. Where did this begin? Why were you thinking about other people?

Oh, I was just looking at that idiot over there wearing the Rams shirt. They haven't had a team in years.