Col. (Ret) Nate Slate: Americans Must Pursue Common Ground

If we can separate people from issues and see every American as family, we can disagree honorably, share empathy, and build a future that serves us all.

Pursuing Common Ground

Americans must be able to disagree honorably. We are a multifarious nation, one of the greatest examples of diversity in the world – more than 340 million people representing every race, creed and culture. Our founding fathers studied history and saw the challenges that a democracy would face in maintaining balance and representing every citizen. That is why they designed a “balanced republic” with many checks and balances. Our Judiciary, Legislative and Executive branches were designed to keep watch over each other. Our Electoral College was designed to ensure every area of the country, regardless of population, would always be fairly represented.

The founding of our great nation was a risky undertaking. Democracies had not fared well across history. They were prone to come apart at the seams. More than two thousand years ago, Thucydides, in the earliest depiction of a democracy, said, “Human nature being what it is, I have written a possession for all time.” At first reading, I found his comment arrogant and condescending. Could it be that human nature had not changed? Could it be that we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over? By the end of his book and his description of the Athenian democracy, I was struck by the similarities. Human nature has not changed. I would contend that human nature is still our biggest obstacle to progress. People want to be right. We want to impose our will on others. Where ego is concerned, it is a zero-sum game.

During these times of political conflict and acrimony, we must remind ourselves that every American citizen is sacred. Our Constitution, like no other, was designed to serve and protect everyone. This brings with it a responsibility to share America. We must always look to share opportunity and to care about other Americans as if they are part of our immediate family. This caring requires some acceptance. Americans have the right to disagree.

Our government shutdown has harmed many thousands of people. What has it really accomplished? The business of finding middle ground that takes care of our most vulnerable while protecting our economy and national security is in everyone’s best interest. I heard a statesman once say that a good day at the political negotiating table meant that everyone left the table a little disappointed. In his view, compromise was the requirement our founding fathers established for effective government. I do not believe the Founding Fathers ever saw a time when party antipathy would make its way down to personal and family relationships. It is time for a change.

Let’s find common ground and go to work to build positively upon it. Surely, we can agree to treat others as we would like to be treated. Surely, we can accept our differences and build upon our strengths. We do not have to become each other. But, we must learn to care for each other. If we fail to share empathy and search for the common ground, we will suffer the mistakes of the past without hope of a better future.

When we demonstrate concern for others, we demonstrate spiritual properties that lift us up. Let’s continue to make the effort to separate issues from people. It is too easy to build stereotypes, judge and attack our fellow Americans. The truth about people is very rarely black and white. It is almost always somewhere in the gray. Let’s demonstrate empathy for each other and look for common ground. Progress that we can make together, if it is based upon true commitment to each other and our country, will endure time.