Throughout our history, there have been times of great questioning about what the ideal means and how to achieve it. Today we are facing one of those times. There is a lot of talk about the United States becoming more diverse, and about what that means for our country. Tensions about the meaning of this diversity become apparent as soon as we talk with each other about the state of our union. Sometimes it seems we are surrounded by a war of words.
Words tap deep feelings, and they can mean very different things to different people.
But the conflicts we face are about more than words. The tensions that come out in our language reflect varied concerns and ideas about where we should go as a country. These pressures are visible in many of our most complex public issues, such as education, taxes, welfare, and immigration. Caught in these real-life complexities and divisions, some people are even questioning our ability to live together. But this is also a time of hope and community building, especially at the local level.