To combat divisive thinking, consider Jonah

At this time of global public health concerns and potential economic depression, one would think that partisan divisions and other sources of conflict would be put aside. Yet this does not seem to be what is happening, and these types of conflict continue. What role does our thinking play in the divisions we see in the world, and what can we do to increase harmony? Answers came when I took a good look at the way I was thinking.

Driving in my city, I would see a variety of bumper stickers on cars and political signs in yards. When I saw one with a message that I agreed with or that supported a politician I liked, I would think, “The people in that car or house are like me.” When I saw a sticker with a message I disagreed with or that supported a politician I opposed, I would think: “Those are not good people. They are not part of my tribe.” Whoa! Where did those thoughts come from? How did I become part of a “tribe” that excludes, or perhaps even hates, others?

Many perceptions prevalent in world thought divide people by race, class, religion, nationality, or political party and foster division, conflict, and hatred. But the Discoverer of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, taught that any thought that is not loving—that is, not coming from divine Love, or God—can only be a lie, and should be discarded. Hatred and conflict do not originate in God.