Letter to the editor: Nothing good can come from division

When Reagan defeated Carter in November of 1979, a page was turned in American life. For a generation, Democrats had controlled the levers of power. With Reagan, it was obvious that a new direction would be coming. Most people today agree that the changes were substantial in many areas. With massive changes in the tax structures, Americans of all walks could perhaps count on more money in their accounts, and foreign actors knew their actions would have to comport more with international law and less with nativism.

The reelection of Trump signals the same kind of change in direction. But our nation is different. The divides are much more pronounced and the animosities much more obvious. There are hints and suggestions that we can as a nation navigate this sea-change well, but most of us simply hope for the best. The cultural changes have been so sweeping for so long that prudence demands that everyone temper their expectations and even their desires.

The obvious need is for understanding, patience and dialogue. We cannot be the people the world needs us to be if we are at each other's figurative and literal throats. Nothing good can come from divided families and friends and acquaintances who have lost the ability to talk with one another.

The Bible teaches us many things, and many of us would agree that love is close to the top of its teachings. Love is what motivated the Creator to come to us in the form of the Beloved Son to save us from ourselves and our obvious guilt before Him. Whether folks agree or not, this writer has seemingly learned from exposure to history and reflection that our Jewish and Christian roots are in fact the foundation of who we are. While that may not matter to some, it most definitely still matters to many.

I have learned after many years that I cannot control much of anything. But is it possible to open my mind and heart to others with whom I disagree on many levels? That is a different story, and indeed one that offers hope.

For me, the issue is kind of like the issues that cosmology and quantum mechanics raise. While I do not know much about either I know that both point us in the direction of infinity. Infinity is that gnawing problem we humans have with explaining that which is impossible to explain. Infinity does not end, whether in the vast universe of space or in the just as vast universe of sub-atomic particles. Infinity just is! And since there is at least one problem we will not and cannot solve it seems to me that the obvious need is for patience with one another, or to quote a friend of my children, when they were children, Buzz Lightyear, "to infinity and beyond." It's that "beyond" that should make us all a good bit more humble than we are!

Let's give it a try.

JAMES R. CHANDLER JR.

Sumter