You might have noticed that life doesn’t feel the same as it once did. Something has changed. The American People have, in some sense, woken up. But which side have they woken up on? There is a deep divide among Americans in regards to which path the United States should take on many issues, like solving global warming, the economy and the hot-button issue of gun safety & control. These different viewpoints, some liberal, some conservative and some just out-right nutty, could ultimately set the stage for the New Civil War of the United States.
Global warming is a major problem for the world and those who inhabit it, but the United States seems to have a long history of divide on the issue, not due to lack of research or findings, but the lack of education on both sides. There are many outside factors effecting the viewpoints of those who believe we are the cause of global warming and those who believe that global warming is cyclical, and it is not helping the situation. Oil corporations lobby for bills to be lightened or even scrapped while pushing for their own agendas, all while filling the internet and news reels full of propaganda and lies to benefit their cause, while the other side can’t be taken seriously due to fraudulent claims and skewed research. Individual agendas of private corporations and science firms are just widening the divide between the two sides, creating angst and distrust of between fellow Americans. This is just the start of the New Civil War.
The economy is another issue that is pushing the two sides farther and farther apart, filling the powder keg. One side believes that cutting programs and spending is the key to fiscal responsibility, while the other believes that we should spend money on programs and projects to boost the economy. Each side continues to argue with each other, not getting anywhere but mad at each other. Even when one side gives in, the other side walks away from the table. Without a balanced approach and genuine compromise, nothing will be accomplished, but the government knows this. This keeps the citizens of the United States at constant battle with one another, trying to keep the two-party system alive, all while stretching the relationship that is already paper-thin. As we sit and watch the economy recover for the financial sector, as the recession still plagues the middle class, fear takes over, making us reach for our defenses. But when someone threatens those defenses, the New Civil War seems not that far away.
Gun safety and control may be the issue that breaks the country in half for good and both sides refuse to budge on the issue. One side believes we should ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines while strengthening the existing gun-related laws, and the other believes that every citizen has the right to own any type of weapon they choose with an unlimited amount of ammo at their disposal. This issue has been center stage recently, over-shadowing the other issues we are so deeply divided over, and it seems to be reaching a boiling point. People are taking sides and the rhetoric is heating up on both sides of the aisle. One side is screaming of tyranny and 2nd Amendment Rights, while the other pushes for bills that won’t help curb gun violence in the nation what so ever. The arguing continues, while fear it finally reaches its maximum capacity, pushing those already on the edge, over the cliff with a hand full of shells.
The issue of global warming, the economy and gun safety & control, are issues that have been argued for generations, continuing the divide for generations as well. With each year that passes, insecurity and fear grows about these issues, and nothing ever gets accomplished, due to the deep rift between the sides. The only thing that does happen is the deepening of the split and the growing anxiety and paranoia about one another. If we continue on this trend of taking sides, and ripping each other apart, we will find ourselves in a place we have never been before and place we do not want to find ourselves at.
He who fears something gives it power over him. ~Moorish Proverb
Read More Stories on Relationships written by the Business Gypsy
Image courtesy of Damian Brandon / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
