How Can We Get It Together?

How can we get it together? Our discussions about divisions in our country seem to be unaware of the divisions that exist in our very selves. Truth is, we are often divided within our own persons.

Think of it this way: You have two of everything. There are two sides to your brain. You have two ears, two eyes, two nostrils. You have two lungs and even two chambers in your one heart. You have two arms, two kidneys. Need I go on?

There’s a psychological test called the Rorschach test. They make ink blots on paper and then fold it in half. Then they put it in front of you and ask what you see. You say: “Gee, it kinda looks like a human pelvis or maybe even the reproductive system.” This makes sense because we have two of everything. And the psychologist says: “That settles it, you’re nuts, maybe sexually fixated, you’re bi-polar. You have a split personality.” Meanwhile you are thinking: But that’s what it looks like! (Next time, just say: “It looks like a butterfly”

You have two legs, two feet, and two big toes. The problem is none of these things are identical twins. The two sides of us are different, and they work differently. One side of us is often stronger and more dominant than the other. We are divided in body, heart, and mind.

Of course, you have another problem. The problem is…other people. Other people that think differently than you. Other people that act differently than you. Other people that look differently than you. How can we get it together when we are so divided?

First, realize that this is your own inner conflict. You have good intentions, but don’t act on them. You make promises, and then you break them. Sometimes you are reluctant and unwilling, but then come around in the end. You don’t say yes, without a few backward glances at no. You don’t say no, without wondering what would have happened had you said yes.

You have two of everything. You are of two minds, two hearts. But at the same time, knowing and admitting this just might bring you closer to other people. It might bring you closer to other people that seem widely different than you. It might bring you closer to your own sweet self. You see, you are less likely to draw lines when it means cutting yourself in half.