by Winifred Barnum-Newman
This is the most divisive I have ever seen the country in my lifetime.
How incredible that we were pulled together at this moment in this country — by the sun and the moon.
Every day has been a challenge for weeks and months as we grapple with our differences and bury our dead — those victims of the hate that seems to permeate from the top down.
Look at us on this day — united in a single focus.
Just imagine what we could do if we took all of that energy and focused on loving and accepting each individual.
Pay attention. Look around. We have a chance to take the feeling of that moment as we gathered in solidarity to watch this eclipse, a moment that will not happen again until 2024.
Take that moment and embrace it. Make it last by accepting others in spite of differences.
I was mesmerized watching as people of all ethnicities stood together, united by the moon and the sun. What a great metaphor. Poets, painters and writers have extolled the beauty of each. And each one is an entity that we cannot do without.
The survival of the human race is dependent on both the sun and the moon. It is time that we recognize that our survival is also dependent upon our ability to live together in harmony, accepting differences, encouraging, understanding, treating each other with respect and dignity.
Differences should not separate us. They are what make us who we are as a nation. Reach out to those who are different from you. Appreciate them. How incredible! The sun and the moon together, bringing a country together. Let us not let that moment pass.
I keep hearing the statement that our president should be our moral leader. Each one of us must take responsibility for leading ourself to a place of moral leadership within our own consciences. Treat others with respect. Accept differences. Reach out to those in need. Quit fighting for a place of superiority. Be the best that you can be! Did you ever hear the phase “Water seeks its own level”?
We, the people of the United States, cannot let our leaders divide us. Each one of us needs to reach out and embrace the differences. Black, white, brown, yellow — each one of us needs to personally commit to bringing our country, our world, together.
Winifred Barnum-Newman is a San Antonio artist and illustrator.