We are at a moment of reckoning. Internationally, nationally, regionally, and locally.
Families choosing not to speak to one another. Lifelong friendships severed over a difference in opinion. Siblings who choose non-contact over disagreements and conflicts.
A consistent theme at the base of every single conflict continues to be misinformation which drives narratives to appease a certain held belief, fact or opinion, while simultaneously furthering the divide.
Over the past several weeks, I keep hearing people ask how we got here, how did it go so far, how are Americans so vastly divided across the nation on what is right and what is wrong?
In my career, my job has been to communicate to the masses utilizing social media and traditional media to reach my intended audience. I have had a front seat to the growth of clickbait and misinformation. It has increasingly become more challenging to find a baseline source of truth as more and more, misinformation and falsehoods dressed in ‘out-of-context’ memes, gifs, and videos are shared repeatedly, effectively making something true because a vast majority shows agreement—
and it happens on both sides of the aisle.
Here we are, in 2025 in a nation divided between differences in religion, politics, and ideologies.
While many believe we know what there is to know about politicians who have been voted into power, one thing is certain: they don’t know you.
They don’t know your story, your history, your background, and your struggles. They don’t know what made you strong, or how you got through your times of weakness. They don’t see how the small and resilient communities in northern Taos County come together to support families with food and money when they lose a loved one, or how we all get together to celebrate the joining of life in a marriage or the birth of a child. They don’t see how our culture has taught us to come together in hard times, support one another, stand by each other, and push through, putting one step in front of the other.
The national politics are loud right now, and they’re going to get louder. Divisions are deep right now, and could likely grow deeper.
Locally, it’s important to focus on strengthening our ties with one another. Support one another. Encourage one another. Love one another.
America has seen her fair share of division in her time. Historian Heather Cox-Richardson wrote a book, ‘America at a Crossroads,’ where she looked at America’s historical divisions and how the country got through them.
In an interview with Judy Woodruff on PBS Newshour, she said, “The hope for our future is in us. The whole point of democracy is that we get to have a say in our futures. We get to be treated equally before the laws, and we get to say who governs us.” She goes on to say, “we have been through extraordinarily hard times before. I smile a little bit when people say, ‘is this the worst ever?’ I’m like, well, tell me which were the good years. Tell me what was the year that things were good? Was it 1923? No, that one wasn’t so good. We have always had hard times. And, until now, we have always, at the end of the day, done the right thing. But I have faith in American democracy, and I have faith in humanity and we will get through this together.”