The Politics of Division: Breaking Free from the Illusion
I view politics from a broad perspective. Meaning, I see how both sides are essentially the same, with a few differing approaches. I see people getting so locked into the right and wrong way of doing things that their ability to see all people—even those with differing views—as part of the whole of humanity, disappears.
I have never seen so much hate and righteousness come from people as I do with politics (on both sides). And I wonder: how do well-meaning, kind, and tolerant humans become so cruel and judgmental? What is the part of us that craves to condemn another person's belief?
Maybe it stems from the quick and easy ability to comment on a post or react to a headline without consequence. Maybe it is the validation of one's own feeling of victimhood or guilt for not suffering as much as the rest of the world. Maybe it is the illusion of control—the idea that if we hold tightly to our beliefs and reject anything that threatens them, we will be safe.
I honestly think it is so complex and at the same time so simple. Everything in our culture is pitting us against each other. Politics, media, social structures—they thrive on division.
Division is currency in a system that thrives on control. The more we identify as enemies to one another, the less we recognize the forces that profit from our discord. If we are busy fighting, we are not building. If we are distracted by outrage, we are not creating solutions. This is by design.
Stepping out of division is an act of rebellion.
Choosing to rise above the narratives that manipulate our emotions for the benefit of political and corporate interests is a radical act. It is a refusal to be controlled, a reclaiming of personal sovereignty. When we refuse to participate in the outrage cycle, we weaken the structures that thrive on our fear and division. True power is found in unity, in the ability to see beyond the illusions created to keep us small and distracted.
It takes a certain level of self-awareness, self-worth, and personal power to not buy into the fear being pumped into our awareness every single day. My wish is for people to wake up to their own self-righteous behavior, wake up to their division mindset, wake up to their own intolerance and inability to sit with their own shadows, so that we can actually change the systems that are keeping us divided. This is an inside job!
If you are pointing the finger outside of yourself, let that be a big red flag.
Ask yourself:
Where am I projecting my own unhealed wounds onto others?
Where am I clinging to an identity so tightly that it blinds me to the humanity of another?
The only work we should be doing outside of ourselves is the work that comes from a regulated nervous system, not a trauma response. That being said, sometimes people first engage with activism, healing, or justice work from their trauma response—because pain is a catalyst. It can be a wake-up call, a first step. But without self-awareness, it often turns into cycles of reaction instead of genuine impact. The key is learning to recognize when our actions are fueled by unprocessed wounds versus when they are sourced from clarity, love, and true empowerment.
Change rooted in fear, anger, or the need to be "right" will only perpetuate the cycles we are trying to break.
But change that comes from self-awareness, compassion, and genuine clarity? That is what transforms the world.
If you don’t know the difference, call me.
