Us vs. Them

Why do we love the "us vs. them" attitudes in America?

We thrive on differences and obsess about conflict. Just look at our politics. Democrats and Republicans. Both parties eager to convince us the other is bad, out of touch and a nightmare for the country. They spend millions of dollars trashing each other and wedging differences between voters to keep power. Never mind that both parties have been corrupted and gutted of moral courage and common sense. They want us to pick a side and defend that side against brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers and neighbors. You're a Republican. You're a Democrat.

It amazes me how much paranoia I see with in the religious community. How they like to play the game like everyone is out to get them. "It's the enemy, it's the enemy" they'll proclaim when things don't go their way. It could be a cop out for a situation they're responsible for but they blame it on the "enemy" and make it them versus the enemy. Bad kids? Enemy. Bad marriage? Enemy. Bad situation? It's the enemy, stupid. God did say you'll have an enemy. God did mention that the enemy will try and knock you off your path. However, God didn't say you don't have personal responsibility and you don't play a role in your own good and bad situations.

Recently someone close to me had some conflicts with others. After the situation had settled down and simmered a bit, an unleashing of Facebook statuses took place. He would come to me saying "I can't even go on Facebook without ten different statuses about this same situation." The other side of the conflict was posting statuses about how the enemy was attacking, everyones out to get them, people are trying to tear them apart. Now what amazed me about this wasn't the compulsive statuses posted one after another. 

It was the fact that these people insisted that they had no personal responsibility and it was some other force out to get them. I've been thrust into this situation by no choosing of my own. I was just an innocent bystander until this person close to me dragged me into it. And maybe I needed to be, to inject some sanity into the mix. Nothing was getting accomplished. But unfortunately, nothing is still getting accomplished. The situation is tense, hurtful and at a fever pitch.

They've made it us vs. them. They've picked their "enemy" to blame it on and decided to ignore their personal responsibility and pretend they have no blame. As for me and my loved one that this blog originates from, we're not going to live our lives that way. I refuse to let us. It's not us versus anyone. I don't have any enemies but myself. And when I get into a hot mess that I've created, I'm going to try my best to admit my mistake and advance forward.

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, jthat each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." - 2 Corinthians 5:10

"For heach one shall bear his own load." - Galatians 6:5