Words of wisdom, dear brother in Christ!
The only fly in the ointment here is that the communication of what you find "evident" utterly depends on the receptivity of your audience to rational, logical, critical analysis.
But I daresay many if not most people reading your words wouldn't really know what you're talking about; because they are not rational, don't know what logic is, and so could not do a "critical analysis" of anything if their life depended on it; they're just too busy with their daily lives, dontcha know....
It is evident that America is now a "house divided against itself." And, as Lincoln well knew, a divided house cannot stand.
The culture itself is divided between so-called "conservatives" and "progressives." The divide exists, because the fundamental question posed to Man is, as it has always been: Do you believe in God? Or do you believe in Man?
So the culture appears to be divided at its very heart. After all, the exceptional American Experiment was/is premised on the living reality of the Creator God and His Moral Law. If this cultural understanding is to be eclipsed by the hallucinations of psychopathologically disordered souls, then what would our beloved country look like? What would we now living be leaving to the following generations of Americans — our kids and grandkids?
Must leave that question there for now. I want to talk about other really interesting "divisions" that are occurring right now. I am speaking of the profound split that can be found in the Republican Party — between the Establishment wing of the GOP, and the Tea Party "insurrectionists."
Funny thing is, these days the same sort of thing is playing out in the Democrat Party — that is, the evident split between the Progressives (who appear to be ascendent right now), and the "Reagan" or "Blue-Dog" Democrats.
In the last election, the Democrat Party in the South was electorally destroyed, obliterated. Probably because "progressive ideas" do not catch on easily in the more traditionally-minded South.
Personally, I'm all for being "traditionally-minded." That's just another way of saying "conservative"....
You give an excellent definition of what it takes to effect a good compromise, an agreement in which neither side gets everything he wants, but is able to preserve and protect what is most valuable to him.
Reasonable men of good will can do this sort of thing. Unfortunately, it appears that reasonable men of good will are in rather short supply these days.
I keep waiting for "the adults" to show up. Alas, that's like Waiting for Godot....
Thank you so much for all your insights, dearest sister in Christ!
As it was in Lincoln’s day, has been ever since, and always was.