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As I read the news these days, it seems to me that our society is being divided by deeper fault lines all the time. The lack of dialogue between the two political parties is one fault line, perhaps the easiest to see, with our blue and red colored election results maps. But I think we have any number of additional fault lines growing between different groups in our society. Some of these parallel the political divide, while others run along weird angles. I think that the racial fault lines are among the more dangerous, especially because so many people either can see them or deny that they exist. These fault lines, like so many of them, create barriers, with people on each side finding it difficult (if not impossible) to recognize that the world look different on the other side. The reactions to the shooting in Furgeson, MO (like that of Trayvon Martin in Florida earlier), is an example of what I mean. I see those who support the police officer, who see him as defending himself against a suspicious and potentially violent person. I also see those who argue that young black men are unfairly targetted by law enforcement simply by virtue of their skin color. The thing is, both sides have valid points, buth neither side seems willing to acknowledge those from the other side. There is no dialogue, only argument.
As these and other fault lines continue to deepen and further divide our society, I can't help wonder what will happen. In geology, fault lines are associated with plate tectonics, with the movement of land masses. When pressure accumulates along one of these fault lines, the danger of major earthquakes grows. I can only hope that our social fault lines don't follow a similar model. I hope that we can find ways to engage in dialogue, to close the fault lines and reduce the stress between different groups in our society. Because if we don't, I'm afraid that the accumulated stresses will result in a 'social earthquake' that may reshape our society in a horribly violent way.
As these and other fault lines continue to deepen and further divide our society, I can't help wonder what will happen. In geology, fault lines are associated with plate tectonics, with the movement of land masses. When pressure accumulates along one of these fault lines, the danger of major earthquakes grows. I can only hope that our social fault lines don't follow a similar model. I hope that we can find ways to engage in dialogue, to close the fault lines and reduce the stress between different groups in our society. Because if we don't, I'm afraid that the accumulated stresses will result in a 'social earthquake' that may reshape our society in a horribly violent way.
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