Peace is possible

Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark)
Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark)

From the office of Representative Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.):

As I reflect on the past few weeks, the word “division” continually comes to my mind. Every American can sense the profound, deep division that separates our country. Divisions can be felt not only in Washington D.C., but also in our communities and places where division should not be, such as among churches, friends, and family.

We hear division repeated in the news and splashed across headlines, and it is easy to become discouraged. We must work hard for civil discourse for the sake of our nation. We must win with resolve, better ideas, strong messages, and demonstrated results.

Unity is a hard-won virtue that requires practice and discipline. We cannot believe that since the other side acts a certain way, it grants us the freedom to do so as well. Such logic will devolve our society into anarchy. I may never agree with my Democrat colleagues on some policies, but that does not give me the right to dehumanize them and their worth even if it’s not reciprocated.

We must independently determine within ourselves to be different, regardless of the actions of others. Someone must break the cycle or this chaos will never end. There will always be individuals on both sides who refuse to put away hatred and embrace understanding. We cannot allow them to break our resolve.

Let’s not choose to live in an echochamber, but rather, in discussion with our fellow citizens with a focus on the issues and a better future. We will likely discover that on many issues we are not so different in our hopes and goals for this nation, but we have different approaches to get there.

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