Future dim for polarized country
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Editor,
The Fourth of July holiday has come and gone, but my concern for our country’s future lingers. My concern is this: the increasing polarity brought on by ideological entrenchment is spiraling out of control, and I see a dim future ahead of us unless this trend changes.
My plea is this: that we refrain from using hate speech, “zingers,” and loaded words, that we recognize our own flawed stubbornness, that we try to use thinking as a priority over believing, and that we avoid pettiness by looking at the big picture.
My plea is also that we practice deep listening, respect for other viewpoints, open-mindedness, tolerance of diversity, cooperation, which leads to compromise, and compassion for all, which leads to understanding.
If you have a “winner-takes-all” attitude, you are disrespecting the founding fathers, who built the Constitution in a spirit of compromise. We seriously need a change in this polarizing trend. Thankfully, more and more people are finding the courage to speak up, advocating for civility and cooperation. If the grassroots folks can take a stand, maybe the governing folks will eventually hear us. We can only hope.
In closing, I would like to thank Dave Andrews for his outstanding guest column on this topic, “Polarized country not beneficial to anybody,” Missoulian, July 5. You hit the proverbial nail on the head.
Nancy Teggeman
Polson
