A little while ago while doing the NYT Mini Crossword, I transposed the "I" and "T" in the clue, turning "UNITE" into "UNTIE" and getting the message that not all the answers were correct. My word nerdiness kicked in. Two words that are not that difference in appearance but quite different in meaning.
The two words are comprised of the exact same letters. The only change is switching the place of the letter “T” and “I. What does this mean? When “T” is in front of “I” we get the words UNTIE which means things are coming apart or undone. It means we are divided and pointing fingers about what is wrong. In contrast, when the “I” is in front of the “T” we get the word UNITE. This means people/things are coming together. We are finding common ground. And instead of pointing out differences, we are embracing our common humanity.
Friday, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and once again the United States has become untied. So many big things have been happening to untie our country. Mask mandates. Refusing to wear masks on airplanes and attacking the flight crew. To get the COVID vaccine or not. Gun laws. Transgender men and women participating in sports. Student loan forgiveness. Inflation and finger pointing. Distrust of law enforcement officers. The border mess. School shootings. Oil prices leading to $5.00/gallon gas prices. Politics. High food prices. Supply chain issues. Interest rate hikes. Baby formula shortages.
So much has happened in the last two years. So many people are overwhelmed and the chasm of division is getting wider. RIght now it's hard not to buy into the world of UNTIE. Staying focused on UNITE is tough. We need to listen more and criticize less and work to find common ground with others we may not know or understand and find solutions.
Great posting. A difficult week, month, year, couple of years for many of us.
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