Who are you and who am I? Several friends and a few relatives have abandoned me this year because of our political differences, or rather, because I’ve chosen to use my voice rather than pretend to be indifferent about the current political climate.

I’m not innocent in this, I too have abandoned a few on social media, but only after months of debates where I tried with all my might to be civil and logical during a time when civility seems to have flown out the window. Ahhh, the life of a logical liberal. But who am I really? And why are we so deeply divided that we cannot even remain Facebook friends?

I’m a realist. I believe in fighting for causes that matter. I believe in truth and justice for all and that it’s worth fighting for.

I believe God gave me a voice and a caring heart. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather take a long nap and wake up when this is history. It’s painful to experience and scary to speak up, but I believe in prayer, so I pray. I do not believe that God put Trump in the White House. If you do, that’s okay. It’s impossible to prove, so we’ll have to remain indivisible on that one.

I had no idea I operated under such a liberal mindset until Mr. Trump found his way into the White House. So, thank you, Mr. Trump. I’m a liberal.

Who are you? Do you believe in truth and justice? Do you believe that our president is a respectable man? That he cares about you and me? That he has a ‘good heart,’ like he claims?

Something about this election has created a deep and bitter dissension between conservative and liberal thinkers. From the top-down, our country’s politicians are so divided it has become an us-against-them-blame-game. They are unable to work together on critical issues, like a healthcare bill that impacts every single American. Shouldn’t these be the people setting the example for the rest of us?

Remember the Pledge of Allegiance? That last part says, “One Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” That word, indivisible: ‘unable to be divided or separated,’ is so important and yet, here we are.

People tell me this divide widened while Barack Obama was in office, but I certainly did not readily see it then. In hindsight, I see now how many folks despised President Obama and (still) blame him for all that is wrong in their lives. Let’s not forget, he stepped into office at the depths of a great financial recession and took the blame for it, but made great strides to bring us from those depths, I believe.

Every U.S. President takes the blame for what goes wrong while they are in office. President Trump’s legacy will be no different, however, he will likely not accept the responsibility with grace. As he has shown us, he lacks the ability to take responsibility for anything negative but relishes in his own self-inflated (sometimes exaggerated or imagined) victories. Which helps no one and does nothing to improve the state of the state. Oh how I wish the man could understand the true power of his position — to show by example how we all could strive to be better.

It saddens me to see how deeply and angrily divided and separated we’ve become. What has happened to kindness, understanding, listening and hearing others, and working together for the common good of all Americans, indivisible?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could come up with all the answers and a solution and report back in tomorrow’s blog? In the meantime, here’s a little pledge to remember:

“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”