By Julie Gordon, BlueRidgeNow
HENDERSONVILLE — I’ve heard it said that it doesn’t matter who is in the office of the president; if we don’t have civil discourse, we are on the verge of civil divorce in this country.
While statistics vary, USA Today in November 2018 reported that nearly 80% of Americans are concerned about the lack of civility in politics and fear it will lead to violence. Americans are also deeply disturbed by the impact political polarization has on their personal lives, including the loss of friends and friction in families. Restoring civility and bipartisanship seem distant goals.
It is often easier to see the opportunity we want than to see the opportunity we have, particularly when it is couched in the warlike fever of vitriolic language and the extremism of political polarization. Yet hidden in this mass of anger and vitriol is exactly where our opportunity, and our power, are to be found.
