Live United - An Inspiration for the Nation

Dear everybody -- just a little hello from Santa Barbara --

I joined this network this afternoon because I am inspired by the "Live United" campaign sponsored by United Way -- and because I feel there is some guidance here for our entire nation.

As I take the pulse of the USA (based on news reports, c-span, cable news, etc), I feel that the "un-civil war" going on in the United States right now is increasingly dangerous and destructive. Our accelerating tendency towards incivility is damaging our instincts to "Live United", and may be a root cause of weaknesses in our government.

As a nation, we need to develop models of cooperation and shared understanding -- that do not expect everyone to see everything the same way. Our "diversity" is a source of strength, and we should be encouraging frameworks and community development that bring diverse voices together to work for common objectives. Today, political disagreement is becoming intensely hostile. We need to counter this tendency in creative ways.

The United Way model is a shining example of this "better way" -- as they bring together widely diverse organizations within a single framework, to benefit the entire community as a whole. In the USA, I believe we need to apply something like this model to our entire concept of democracy and government. We are different, we come from many places and many different points of view -- yet we are "united" by our national identity and heritage -- by our national motto "E Pluribus Unum" (Out of Many, One).

The United Way is an "Out of Many, One" model. It is a confluence of streams that come together from many different places for the benefit of all. I'd love to see the emergence of a national campaign or energy or framework to encourage this way of seeing, this way of understanding our democracy.

If anyone here has a comment on this thought, I'd love to see it, and thanks so much!

- Bruce Schuman, Santa Barbara CA