Ukraine, Syria, South Sudan, Venezuela, Iraq, Egypt — all divided by deadly violence resulting from dissatisfaction with government.
Scotland and Catalonia — two most prominent sub national regions conducting succession referendums based on dissatisfaction with government.
Walonia, Basque, Quebec, Tibet, — most well known regions with active separatist movements.
Colorado & California — states with recent or proposed referendums to separate counties and form new states.
Near record levels of individual and corporate migrations based less on seeking economic opportunity than on fleeing government regimes (albeit often for tax purposes).
Low approval ratings, frequent electoral discord and acrimonious debate regarding government policy in almost every nation with even minimal allowances for it (and violent protest where it is not allowed).
So what is it about government which ignites such passions and what can government employees and their leaders do to promote unity, or should we instead focus on supporting nonviolent diversity, including diversity of thought which is highly endangered in overly PC western democracies?
Ever break something, and because you need to use it very soon you “crazy glue” it (cyanoacrylate it) and when you try to use it right away, the glue bond fractures, and gluing it again simply doesn’t do the trick?
Government is glue. What divides people are emotions. What brings them together are initiatives that require consultation, planning, resources, and time to see the positive outcomes. Government will ALWAYS have a difficult time uniting, because it dries slower than emotions can occur.
Interesting post, Peter.
I would say that government is always an easy target for blame, like most mega bureaucracies — whether justified or not. Moreover, politics by it’s adversarial nature is bound to result in an adversarial process. This is more evident is some countries more than others, as you note.
However, freedom loving peoples here and worldwide cannot blame citizens of other countries from protesting and rising up against authoritarian regimes which trample the basic human rights and civil rights that some Americans whimsically take for granted.