Humans are hardwired to want to belong to a group. We are social animals, and in human history it was paramount for survival to belong to a group, a tribe, a clan, a family.  I think that right now fear is a major driver for people to organize themselves into groups that share believes and values and to see other groups with different values as enemies. This is the disunity visible in many societies today. People seem to be divided into camps and factions, there is an “us” versus “them” mentality.

There have always been profound differences of viewpoints. What I think is new is the seemingly insurmountable unwillingness to even talk to members of another camp, let alone listen to what they have to say. Sometimes it feels like sheer hatred toward the other party, and there seems to be more of it out in the open than before. The groups seem to be not willing to compromise for a greater goal anymore, but instead fight for their own advantage. People react emotionally and heated debates get out of hand.

Bridges between the camps are being torn down. An open and outcome-oriented dialog is not in sight. Sometimes there is a rift within a family. Or friends are not talking to each other anymore, because they have a fundamentally different view of certain issues in society. It feels like chasms are between the factions, and they are not easily crossed anymore. Certain politicians do not help in this situation but make sure the division is deepened. How do we return from this? What does it take?

The very fabric of society seems to be unravelling, it is getting torn and shredded. Hmm, there is an idea for a textile artist!