In a new op-ed for the Independent Journal Review, Dr. Ben Carson—a vice chair of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team—has written about the need for Americans to come back together after a contentious election.
America was developed as a democratic republic by people who were both eclectic and wise, he wrote, and after examining governing structures of the past, they extracted “the best elements while excluding the obvious problems.” One of the best pieces of American self-governance, he added, was that the American republic was developed around We the People.
He wrote:
We have some very significant problems in the United States that affect the entire population. We also are blessed with some brilliant minds on both sides of the political aisle who, by coming together, have the potential to create solutions that work for all of us. It does not mean that they have to agree about everything; in fact, it is natural for people to disagree because we all come from different places and have different experiences that inform our personal philosophies.
I frequently say, “If two people agree about everything, one of them is not necessary.” The world would be very boring if we all agreed about everything. Maturity, however, dictates that disagreements do not have to degenerate into name-calling, violent demonstrations or attempts to destroy the livelihood of other people. What we must learn to do is engage in civil discourse about our differences. In most cases, we will find that we agree on many more things than we disagree. For instance, we all want good health care for everyone, but we must learn to provide it in a way that doesn’t disadvantage one group while advantaging another. If we think about our future rather than our feelings, we are more likely to find mutually satisfactory solutions to our problems.
“United we stand, divided we fall.” “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” There are reasons why these well-known phrases have persisted over the centuries. It is essential that we, as Americans, recognize that our strength lies in our unity and that those who are trying to divide us are our enemies, even though they portray themselves as great humanitarians and the source of all wisdom. We can either keep hating and fighting like depraved creatures or we can call upon our heritage of faith and integrity to exhibit kindness, compassion and rational thought processes as we create an atmosphere that facilitates the pursuit of happiness for us all.
He concluded by saying that it is much easier to be cooperative when seeking solutions than it is to seek revenge and attempt to prove superiority. Rather than hating those whose solutions have failed, we should use them as part of a greater “learning curve” to develop better solutions for the future.
If one part of a ship sinks, he added, the rest of it will too.
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