The country…indeed the entire world…seems more divided than ever these days. And those on one side of the divide are generally loathe to express any sense of understanding or respect for those on the other.

The dividing issue of the moment is “genuflection.” Yea, you read that right…the nation is divided as ever on the issue of “knee taking.”

And with Trump at the helm, next it could be “ring kissing”…but I digress…

I guess I really don’t need to reiterate the facts of this current brouhaha. I posted a bit about that the other day.

The intention of this post is rather to get at the heart of the matter.

What is really dividing us? I mean REALLY!

I wrote a post earlier in the year entitled, The Tale of Two Americas. That one alluded to the idea of inclusion versus exclusion as the seminal issue of deep division…

But is that really it?

Or, is it something even more sinister??

Perhaps those questions are too hard to answer in a less than thousand word blog post.

So, let’s come at it from a different angle…

Since the divisions themselves are so plainly apparent, perhaps the better question is, what will enable us to bridge them?

Acknowledging a few basic facts could help…

Like the fact that we’re really all made from the same stuff…

And have the same basic desires…

And live on the same revolving rock…

Are you catching my drift?

Each side of the divide thinks that it has the answer about how the world ought to operate. In fact, each side is entirely convinced on that issue…

I’ve made the point repeatedly in this blog that neither really does. That’s the chief impact blinder this blog seeks to eliminate…the idea of absolute rightness…

When it comes to things like politics and religion…

there simply is none…

There is no “right answer.”

And guess what we’re divided most about?

Yep, you got it, politics and religion.

So, the direction I’d like this post to point to and encourage is one of stepping back from the fray and showing a bit of genuine genuflection out of respect for the fact that we’re all humans who deserve the right to be wrong.

After all, being wrong about something can ultimately lead to rightness…

just ask Edison.

We humans crave rightness…so much so that we’re willing to make up pretty elaborate stories about the way the world works and then dedicate our lives to them…

even die for them.

The real issue then might be just that…the competing stories we make up to prove that we’re right.

Are these competing stories really so important that we’re willing to risk the destruction of an entire society over them?

I seriously don’t think so.

There are certain things that make me feel patriotic. And, yes, the national anthem before a sporting event can be one of them…

But what is patriotism, really? And, perhaps an even better question is, what is it not?

Here’s a recent video of a woman who spontaneously sang the national anthem at the Lincoln Memorial…

Yea, that one made me beam with patriotic pride. Her effort seemed to have a similar effect on those standing around her.

Those who’ve fought to defend our shared liberty come in many shapes and sizes. Certainly the brave young men who stormed the beaches of Normandy fit the bill. But so does the young woman who refused to ride in the back of the bus. So do those who braved the firehoses, nightsticks, and attack dogs of Bull Connor and his officers in the streets of Birmingham, Alabama.

And so does the young quarterback who took it upon himself to demonstrate his concern about social injustice in our country.

In one form or another all of those mentioned above paid a price for their displays of patriotism, some the ultimate price.

You see, when that flag is draped around really bad ideas like racism and bigotry, or around blind support for misguided military excursions that unnecessarily consume our nation’s precious resources and spill its even more precious blood…then it ceases to symbolize liberty, especially for those oppressed.

Donald Trump’s comments for a crowd of his “base” followers in Alabama offer up that brand of knee jerk patriotism that’s anything but inspirational. For many, perhaps most, his comments were infuriating.

They were infuriating to those who know very well that while they might not agree with certain ideas, or the means used in expressing them, peacefully, nevertheless they will defend to the death another’s right to express them.

That’s exactly what all those players and owners were doing out there on the fields across the nation on Sunday.

It had nothing to do with “the flag.” The flag is a piece of dyed cloth. The military is a government program that consumes an inordinate amount of our nation’s capital.

Neither deserve our worship.

And that “story” is one of our commonly shared liberty…

To the chagrin and outright anger of some, including our sitting president, Colin Kaepernick has become a symbol of that liberty.

And Trump should be wary because in our country true defenders of liberty have a pretty good track record of success against their detractors.