In the wake of Tuesday's election, where are we as a nation, as a society, and where do we go from here? This is a question I'm confident more than a few of us are asking. The title of this article is from a question asked by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
more than 60 years ago. It is a question more relevant and urgent now than ever. As Dr.
King also wrote, "We must learn to live together as brothers and sisters, or we will surely perish together as fools." Is there hope for a future of "liberty and justice for all" in our nation? Or will we continue on a path of social and political polarization, with an increasing likelihood of widespread civil unrest? Which is it going to be, community or chaos? As I write this article, I, of course, don't know the outcome of the election. We may well not know the outcome by the time this article appears in print.
One thing we all know, however, is that this time leading up to Election Day has been characterized by division and hostility stoked by confusion, suspicion, fear and fear-mongering. Furthermore, I strongly suspect that little of that will change for the better—at least in the short term — regardless of the outcome of the election. How did we get here? In a democracy, as in any form of government, there are competing ideas about what is "right," or "good" or "best" for us as a society, because we come from diff erent backgrounds, have diff erent experiences, diff erent cultural traditions and values, diff erent wants and needs.
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