Although I wish it wasn’t the case, our nation is currently fractured. The political divide is the greatest it’s ever been in my lifetime. This divide impacts relationships with friends and family and can even hinder your ability to advance in a chosen profession. The divide can be so cavernous you’d think there’s no hope left in this great country of ours.
I have good news for you. There’s plenty of hope left.
My family and I recently took a trip to Washington, DC for Spring Break. If the men and women serving in political office are any example, you’d think the entire city would be filled with rabid dogs, frothing at the mouth to bite your head off at the first sign of disagreement. Thankfully, reality is something vastly different.
Washington, DC is one of the cleanest cities I’ve ever visited. I had always heard that wasn’t the case, but I’m very glad to be proven wrong. Although it’s a bustling metropolis, filled with cars, buses and a vast subway system, the city itself is filled with flowers in full bloom and enough trees to provide a parklike setting throughout. There were no visual signs of homeless encampments and everywhere we looked the buildings and open areas were well taken care of. In other words, there was a pride of ownership in representing the nation as our capital city.
Even though I live in the South, I’ve found people in the Midwest have been the most accommodating. They’re eager to please and are willing to help you not out of obligation or proper manners, but because they truly want to. Surprisingly, my interactions with people in Washington, DC were this way. I figured the city would be more “northern” than anything else and perhaps it is from a traffic and congestion perspective. This was not the case when it came to the people. They reminded me of my interactions in Iowa more than those I’ve had in New York.
America is a bastion of freedom for the world. As our capital, Washington, DC is the visual embodiment of that freedom. From the Lincoln Memorial to the tip of the Washington Monument, these marble ensconced symbols represent where we’ve been and where we hope to go in the future. People from every country descend on this center point of democracy to experience first hand what it’s like to be American.
Although there were a smattering of protesters, there were no shouting matches or defamatory names being bandied about. No one that I interacted with visually identified as either a Democrat or Republican. We were all people, American and otherwise, experiencing the same buildings, museums and monuments. Courtesies were shown, smiles were exchanged, happiness ensued.
All we hear about on the news or on social media is how our country is in crisis. We have two sides of thought, neither of which can live together in harmony. This may be true for the most unyielding among us. For one week, in the former swamplands outside Maryland, nothing could be further from the truth. Phones were taking pictures of founding documents rather than punches being thrown. America’s capital assumed the burden of welcoming the masses and providing enough hospitality to rise above the discourse.
As we continue to navigate choppy political waters, there’s no doubt angry and disgruntled voices will continue to descend on DC in the future. The good news is, the city and people who inhabit it will greet all comers with open arms.
Although freedom isn’t free, sharing it with the rest of the world can be. Thankfully, our nations capital is up to the task.
