I've been spending a fair amount of time lately reading Ron Chernow's massive new biography of General Ulysses S. Grant. At over 900 pages, there is a lot of history here, and much of it quite interesting and thought-provoking. It is also fascinating to read about this historical era when the country was so divided in a time when the country is so divided again.
Even though it seems like these divisions will never end or be resolved, they somehow dissipate for a time, only to surface decades later in an altered form. Altered, yes, but not entirely different from their original content and intensity.
We live in a time of tremendous division. Much of that division concerns the interpretation of what is loosely termed the direction of our country. We have at the helm, a political newcomer who thrives on pandering to his base and overtly expressing his racism, sexism, and self-righteous indignation. This is not unlike the world that Grant inhabited when Andrew Johnson was President of the U.S. True, Johnson was not elected (he was the assassinated Lincoln's VP) but he entered the White House with a set of political beliefs and a moral compass far different from many in the country. Johnson was impeached, though the Congress failed to oust him from the presidency. At one point Johnson even threatened to send troops to deal with his unruly Congress. Nevertheless, the stage was set for a war of partisan politics that seems to have persevered to this day. Of course, the labels were not the same. Lincoln and Grant were in the Republican party and the Democrats were the party of the "solid South." That evolution is a fascinating story in itself, but best left for another time.
When I see the issues that divide this nation today, I wonder if they aren't another form of those that divided us 150 years ago. Stripped to their essentials they involve human rights and the struggle between science and blind faith. Today's combatants are also often divided by education level and the ability to empathize with others.
Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, in promoting her latest book Presidential Leadership in Turbulent Times, speaks about the importance of empathy in a President that can unify the country. Along with the ability to learn from past mistakes, these are two essential qualities to promote unity. Grant certainly had those characteristics. Unfortunately, the current occupant of the White House has no humility, makes no mistakes. This does not bode well for our current malaise.
Did they wonder then, as many do now if we aren't wired differently and thus condemned to repeat these struggles? What are the characteristics of a hard-wired Republican or Democrat? Again, it appears that empathy plays a crucial role. Perhaps that's why there is no such thing as a moderate or liberal Republican any more. One can only hope that the overt battles of our Civil War will not be repeated. Anyone who has ever roamed a Civil War battlefield then and now knows the eerie feeling of a house divided against itself and the needless carnage that contributes to its fall.
Even though it seems like these divisions will never end or be resolved, they somehow dissipate for a time, only to surface decades later in an altered form. Altered, yes, but not entirely different from their original content and intensity.
We live in a time of tremendous division. Much of that division concerns the interpretation of what is loosely termed the direction of our country. We have at the helm, a political newcomer who thrives on pandering to his base and overtly expressing his racism, sexism, and self-righteous indignation. This is not unlike the world that Grant inhabited when Andrew Johnson was President of the U.S. True, Johnson was not elected (he was the assassinated Lincoln's VP) but he entered the White House with a set of political beliefs and a moral compass far different from many in the country. Johnson was impeached, though the Congress failed to oust him from the presidency. At one point Johnson even threatened to send troops to deal with his unruly Congress. Nevertheless, the stage was set for a war of partisan politics that seems to have persevered to this day. Of course, the labels were not the same. Lincoln and Grant were in the Republican party and the Democrats were the party of the "solid South." That evolution is a fascinating story in itself, but best left for another time.
When I see the issues that divide this nation today, I wonder if they aren't another form of those that divided us 150 years ago. Stripped to their essentials they involve human rights and the struggle between science and blind faith. Today's combatants are also often divided by education level and the ability to empathize with others.
Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, in promoting her latest book Presidential Leadership in Turbulent Times, speaks about the importance of empathy in a President that can unify the country. Along with the ability to learn from past mistakes, these are two essential qualities to promote unity. Grant certainly had those characteristics. Unfortunately, the current occupant of the White House has no humility, makes no mistakes. This does not bode well for our current malaise.
Did they wonder then, as many do now if we aren't wired differently and thus condemned to repeat these struggles? What are the characteristics of a hard-wired Republican or Democrat? Again, it appears that empathy plays a crucial role. Perhaps that's why there is no such thing as a moderate or liberal Republican any more. One can only hope that the overt battles of our Civil War will not be repeated. Anyone who has ever roamed a Civil War battlefield then and now knows the eerie feeling of a house divided against itself and the needless carnage that contributes to its fall.
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