Are we headed for civil war? The question sure is getting asked a lot, in headline after headline after headline after headline and countless water cooler conversations.
No doubt about it, rudeness and rage are on the rise. We’re undeniably more tribal about politics, to the point where the divisions and polarization are paralyzing. I don’t have a crystal ball allowing me to gaze into the future. All I know is I’ve never seen anything quite like this in my lifetime. But I do have the benefit of history books to remind me that traumas as great or greater than the ones we’re currently experiencing have been visited on past generations and overcome.
History has this annoying tendency to repeat itself. Knowing this full well and knowing the history of this country half well still leaves me reasonably confident that the answer to the question is no, we’re not headed for a second civil war. There are worrisome numbers of people who want one and seem hellbent on starting one. That doesn’t mean…
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