A matter of division

“The Destiny of Man is to unite, not to divide. If you keep on dividing you end up as a collection of monkeys throwing nuts at each other out of separate trees.”

 T.H. White, The Once and Future King

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Divide and rule

Try it!

It works

It has been the weapon of choice for narcissists

Since the beginning of time

From Philip of Macedonia (who is said to have coined the phrase)

on through Ceasar, Napolean

and Machiavelli,

it has been used by people who love power

and love to abuse power

to minimize and marginalize people

and control them

foster distrust

create hate

distract from what is really happening

keep people in small groups

aligned around fear or hate, or ideology, or prejudice, or bigotry

and you win

but this is no way to live

like a ‘bunch of monkeys throwing nuts at one another from separate trees”

even if I think “my tree” is best

even if I think my ideas, my knowledge, my way, my values are better

it is no way to live

the cost is simply too great

think of what we see around us

look at what we are becoming

voter suppression

racism

angry people with guns, shooting those they disdain

a loss of civility

greed

saying we are like monkeys throwing nuts at each other is kind

We are more like angry beasts, tearing at each others flesh

Too many of us, at too many levels

Are caught up in this game

I found myself stating the other night

That I wished Karma would catch up with Mitch McConnell, soon

Monkey in a tree

Why would I wish ill on another human being?

Because that being is creating ill?  Yes!

But still

Adding enmity to enmity clearly does not work

The author of the book of Hebrews in the Bible

Suggests that we should provoke one another into love and good works

Provoke!

Wow!.  Not gently encourage, but provoke.

What does it mean to provoke love

Provoke unity?

I am not sure

But I think it is time we figure it out

How can, instead of escalating hate, can we escalate kindness and generosity?

How can we, instead of poking the hornets’ nest, and releasing fury

Can we draw out affection and compassion?

And how can we do it, while all around us

There are people assailing one another with words

And hate

And hostility

It is perhaps the question for our time

Will we go down the path we are going, and, as a world

Act out our anger, allowing extremism from the far right

To draw us into a savagery like that we saw in our great world wars

(the pattern now is much like that before WWI and WWII)

Or will we find a better way

And Provoke one another not into conflict, but into love??