Elections, Divisions, and Fall of the Berlin Wall

In this time of elections and divisions, what helpful and practical takeaways can we remember from the November fall of the Berlin Wall?

Though the midterm elections have come and gone, you can still feel the electricity in its wake. Elections season brings a lot to the forefront, some of it positive, such as new ideas and discussions, passions, changes, and carryovers. But it also brings some negative things like division, polarization, anger, and unproductive arguments.

This year’s midterm elections were a little heavier on the negativity than usual it seems, judging from Facebook and Twitter posts, TV and radio ads, and living and dining room debates. And so it might take some time for people to resume their regularly-scheduled relationships and remember the things that they do like about those that don’t share their viewpoints.

It’s times like these that it helps to remember better Novembers –Like November 9^th, 1989, the day the Berlin Wall fell.

It’s an appropriate event to remember, being that the Berlin Wall was and is a symbol of a city, a country, and a world divided.

It stretched 27.9 miles, and for 28 years it separated friends, siblings, kids, parents, loved ones, and countrymen. But despite being divided into two, and forced to adopt a directional identity, as soon as the walls fell, there was no East or West about it, they were just Berliners and there was just Germany.

That’s a story to take to heart, as well as help drown out the political talking/ blogging heads.

Just remember that despite what the attack ads or the architects of artificial dividers may say on this and all other elections, we are all still Americans, and our similarities far outshine our differences, and this is still one nation indivisible!