Every year, the President of the United States delivers a speech known as the State of the Union address. This speech is a chance for the President to address the nation and talk about the current state of the country and its future. This year, President Biden will deliver essentially the same speech every other President has made in your lifetime. He’ll talk about how he and his party have made everyone’s life better. Then he’ll talk about how he and his party can make everyone’s life “even more better” (sic). Then he will call for unity in the guise of everyone agreeing to follow his plan.
However, the phrase “state of the union” goes beyond just this annual speech and represents the overall condition of the country and its people. The word union is not just the physical country, but also our ideological bond to each other. And that bond for Americans has always been about our liberty.
In recent years, the state of our union with each other has become increasingly divided and polarized. Tolerance and respect for diversity have given way to authoritarianism and a narrow-mindedness that is tearing the fabric of our society apart. This is why it’s more important than ever for us to come together and embrace the principles of tolerance and open-mindedness if we want to create a more perfect union.
Tolerance is the key to unlocking a more diverse and inclusive society. When we tolerate and embrace different perspectives, we open ourselves up to new ideas and ways of thinking that can bring us closer together. This, in turn, leads to greater understanding and a more harmonious society.
On the other hand, authoritarianism only serves to divide and conquer. When we embrace an authoritarian mindset, we become closed off to new ideas and perspectives and become entrenched in our own beliefs. This leads to a society where everyone is fighting for their own interests ahead of others rather than voluntarily working together for the greater good.
Take a look around you today. You don’t have to look hard. What are the projects in which people don’t let political divisions keep them from working together? Sadly, they are few and far between. The state of the union is a reflection of the collective mindset of its people. If we want to create a more perfect union, we must work together to foster a culture of tolerance and openness. This means embracing diversity, listening to different perspectives, and being willing to change our own beliefs if we come across evidence that suggests we’re wrong.
In conclusion, the state of the union is a call to action for us to come together and embrace tolerance and less authoritarianism. By doing so, we can create the more diverse, inclusive, and harmonious society that we said we wanted in the preamble to the Constitution:
“We the people, in order to form a more perfect Union…”
The Preamble
It’s all our country has ever wanted — a more perfect union, where we let everyone live their own lives as they see fit. Where we let live.
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