“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” – Abraham Lincoln
I want to get to know America better. I often dream of getting in my truck, pulling a small travel trailer, and hitting the road with my wife and dog, all packed up front.
– Photo by Deborah Triplett
We’d have a great time, meeting wonderful people, and seeing our fabulous country.
We’d drive under spacious skies, amid those amber waves of grain, see the purple mountain majesties … from sea to shining sea.
It’s a dream I’ve held since watching the many episodes of “On The Road” with Charles Kuralt.
But until my grand adventure happens, I am saying, “Hello America” right here – in Charlotte, in North Carolina.
Our city and state are incredibly diverse. Even people I assume are just like me, might not be. The other evening I joined two friends for dinner. We get together about every two months, to hear about each other’s families and all the usual things friends do and talk about. We’ve known each other for many years, even traveling to El Salvador together several times on mission trips.
You’d think we knew each other pretty well by now.
During our last visit, the conversation drifted to hand guns and concealed carry permits. My jaw hit the table when one of my friends announced, “Yes, I have a carry permit. Want to see?” His is the first one I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t look like much.
To get a concealed carry permit in North Carolina, you have to take a test that requires the applicant, under ideal conditions, to hit the target 21 out of 30 tries. Maybe 70% is a good score, but what, or who, did the other nine bullets hit?
I wonder why my friend needs a carry permit but I don’t. Are these political differences or could they be more differences in desires, beliefs, and cultures? We’re not all the same here in Charlotte, and I need to be good with that.
So I’m making a choice to listen to the stories from people who make different decisions about how to live their lives. I hope to grow from these conversations and I hope this simple sharing can bring us together.
As I look at our country, it seems that what ever it is that’s dividing us is not just a Blue State versus Red State thing. It’s culture, desire, and beliefs pushing us apart.
That’s why I’m saying, “Hello America, how y’all doin’?”
Do you think the divide we see today is right versus left, or is there more to it? What are the differences you see?
How do you think we can come together?
I read the letters to the editor in The Observer Forum, not just the ones I will agree with but also the ones I won’t.
It’s clear to me that while many of us enjoyed the last eight years of Barack Obama, there is an equal number of us who couldn’t wait for his time to end.
I’m hoping our shared stories can bring us together. We just need to take the time to listen to each other.
What do you think?
As always, the conversation starts here.
“In the ordinary choices of every day we begin to change the direction of our lives.” – Eknath Easwaran
Epilogue
You may be a member of the National Rifle Association, I’m not – but I have friends who are, and I bet you have some as well. Their love for our country is as strong as mine, just different.
Have you seen the NRA commercials? Here’s Freedom’s Safest Place?
Bruce, Sent you sent this I have been thinking about it a lot and when you find the answer, please let me know. I feel I am so far away from the way that those who are in favor of the NRA that there is no conversation that will change them or the way I feel. Right now, it is hard to believe that I am living in a country that supports this administration and all that is happening. It is completely opposite from the values which I hold so strongly. I, too, am looking for answers as to how… Read more »
Mary Lou – I am sorry to disappoint you but I too have more questions than answers. I thought I knew our country and our city but it is clear that I do not know either. So my first goal will not be to change anyone, only to seek to understand. To do that, I will need to listen. Then I will reinforce what I like and ignore what is upsetting. In time, we may come together in our shared stories. It won’t be easy and it won’t be fast, but it is my only answer – my only hope.… Read more »
Bruce, it is wonderful how much your heart is in your blog, and your ability to reach out. I am deeply troubled by much of the discussion going on today, blatant lies rebranded as “alternative facts” when what is needed is serious dialog about the challenges facing our country. It is hard right now to understand my friends who voted for Trump, someone who is so focused on dividing the world into winners and losers, and so focused on his own image, that the broad diversity of the American people is being forgotten.
Theresa … Thank you. Yes, I have days when my heart is open and my arms reach out. I try to celebrate those days so I can forget the days when I want to climb up on a soap box to tell my story on the town square (where no one would listen), or the days I want to stay in my bed, under the covers. Yes, there is serious dialogue needed and real people are being forgotten. I’m grateful there are people like you who do care and I believe there are more than we realize. Thanks for joining… Read more »