America’s New Direction

The AND Movement

The time is ripe and well overdue for America’s new direction. The United States of America is entering a new epoch. We are ready to make this happen. Now is when each and every disenfranchised member of humanity receives the equity, respect and rights that all of us so richly deserve. All of us must band together to voice agreement that black lives matter. Let us take our cues from nature to smooth our transition.

I invite you into our backyard to observe one way Mother Nature encourages diversity. This is a close up of one of my favorite trees. Okay, perhaps it is my best plant friend in the entire world! Part of my attraction to it is its sheer size. The circumference of this lovely maple tree measured at my shoulder height is approximately twenty-one and a half feet. While it certainly is not a redwood tree, it is good sized by Midwestern standards.

Aside from the beautiful subtlety of color within its bark, just the other day, I noticed a minute detail. My tree was playing host, or perhaps hostess, to two tiny, baby trees! It is quite common for self-perpetuated suckers to sprout from a tree trunk, but this is the first I’d ever observed two different visiting plant species latched aside a tree. It was fascinating that the left wee one was a needled coniferous while the one on the right was a leafy deciduous. I soon perceived the lesson of the tree.

Supporting Diversity and Equality in America’s New Direction

I saw that two new residents had moved to Maple Street. Miss Coniferous and Mr. Deciduous were new neighbors. Our tree was sheltering these new arrivals from the thunder and lightning of the world. In protecting the young ones as a nurturing guardian rather than a bullying warrior, our gentle giant of a tree was demonstrating a prime example of supporting diversity and equality. All of them are trees, after all.

You see, my friend, these two newborn trees could represent anything. It could be male or female, rich or poor, people of color or white people. As a leader of the forest, our stately one demonstrates total open branched, openhearted acceptance of all. Our country would do well to model America’s new direction after nature.

“I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.” Maya Angelo

Our nation has much work to do in order to be as wise in nature’s ways (as this tree appears to be) by embodying full blown acceptance of others just a bit different than ourselves. Trees have the ability to stretch their limits to the sky in full leafed glory in order to support, respect and embrace others.

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer, always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” Harriet Tubman

If we wanted to personify this large tree, we could imagine it is aware that the two small guests are trees as well. There appears to be no division between them. In looking at our country, some are focusing upon divisive rather than uniting factors. What is that which has the potential to hold us together?

“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.” George Washington Carver

Remember or imagine the experience of being young, aged, striving, weak, or strong. Surely we could adopt the wisdom of this tree. We can have open hearts and reach for the stars to change the world. We can be tender, compassionate, sympathetic and tolerant. If we gaze in the mirror, we can see those qualities. Then, we must feel and use those characteristics for the common good. All of us are people, after all.

The wisdom of my tree tells me it is not coniferous or deciduous. It is not male or female. It is not people of color or white people.

Finally, in truth, it is deciduous and coniferous, female and male, people of color and white people. We must delete the “or” to insert “and”. It is so necessary for us to break our enslavement to the word “or” and welcome all as our true brothers and sisters. It is for you and me! This is America’s New Direction, The AND Movement of unity that will lead us toward peaceful co-existence with all.

“We’ve just forgotten that we belong to each other.” Mother Teresa