Let's start out by saying that I am one of Jon Stewart's biggest fans. He's been hosting his satiric news show since I was 16. I am thankful for his almost nightly contribution to the otherwise boring new circuit. But now he's going where no comedian has gone before, hosting a national rally. I remember when folks were wearing those "Stewart Colbert '08" shirts a few years back and now I'm sure they will be re-surfacing.
As much as we need to restore sanity in this country, a rally of liberals (myself included) is not the solution. We're doing something quite similar to what Glenn Beck and his group did, minus a lot of religious overtones. We're separating ourselves from the "other side". And further division is NOT what this country needs to solve its problems.
What this country really needs is dialogue. We need to see the humanness in one another. It's time to grab coffee with that person in your office who supported George W. Bush or who watches Fox News and have a conversation. Let a person you don't agree with share his/her story while you share yours. While we're at it, let's conquer our fear of the unknown. If you're skeptical of Muslims, go to a mosque and talk to one. If you're not sure about what it mean to be GLBT, find a friend who is or knows someone who is and be open to hearing that story.
We're in two wars and serious debt. The problems of our food system, poverty and education will only continue to prevail if we remain divided. There are systems in this country that have "fallen", as Walter Wink puts it, from their good natures (corporations, banks, the government). It is our job as Americans together (from many different backgrounds of faith, gender, race, origin) to unmask the bad things going on so that we can confront them as a nation. If we remain divided into extreme parties on either side, everyone loses. We must come together through conversation to grow into a health nation once again.
To all you head down to the rally here in DC this weekend, please bring an open mind. Don't just hang out with all you liberal friends, but engage with whomever who deem the opposite side.
