There is a second civil war being fought in the United States and it can be seen in the halls of the U.S. Capital and at every protest. The divide in political and philosophical ideologies appears to have no moment of relief and the reliance on the Constitution to solve all discussions, debates, and problems isn't working. Laws in short, are only written on paper and shouldn't be depended upon to decide every issue between people. That is left up to norms and morals. Every single American claims that they are "the most patriotic" and that their feelings on issues only come from the deepest love of their country while the opposing point of view is the worst.
Thankfully, with the way that the country's government is established, this division, discord, and disagreement results in nothing happening. But like poorly constructed levees, a huge storm with the correct characteristics could breach the levees which can lead to a greater disaster. The disaster is losing the "union"--the agreement by all the states that they were stronger together to fend off enemies than they were apart.
The Declaration of Independence unites the country
The document seems to have been forgotten by many people where the Constitution is viewed as a more relevant document regarding today's issues, but the Constitution only relates to laws on paper and not to the "mission" and "vision" of the country, i.e., the reason why we call ourselves "American".
The British crown misused and abused the American colonies and colonists, who already were versed in the philosophies that led to representative government (Social Contract theory). They knew how they wanted to live their lives and they knew that they were stronger together than apart. They also knew that the members of the "minority" were equally as important as the "majority" and needed to "move forward at the same time" to achieve progress.
Both documents must go "hand-in-hand" with each other to make sense. The civic education and homogeneity of the population have changed but that "mission" and "vision" still reign. The voice of it is heard in each protest but the norms, morals and values haven't filtered to the community level.
We must move forward at the same time
The current justification of the two political parties in the United States has led to a war fought on TV. Citizens see the messages-- "It's either my ideology or your ideology", "my side wins, your side loses", "the winners control everything, the loser pays and takes it". This is an incorrect and incompetent way to approach any business of getting things done and the 17% approval rating of Congress by the public is a good gauge of this feeling. The parties main goal is to win the Presidency and intern, have the President control everything. This creates a "king" where there should be none. Protesters across the nation have the correct approach to voice their dissension and their concerns are the new norms, values, and morals of the country.
Those who clamor for old values and better days also have a voice and in every neighborhood, every home, a "balance" should be sought out. There is no one answer, no formula, no ideology that can cure the current ills but remembering the "Union" can be the rudder to help guide the country through these troubled waters.
