Why do people believe our nation is so divided? How did we get here?

We are a nation deeply divided — between releasing our prejudices or holding them closer, between allaying our fears or feeding and exacerbating them, between healing or hardening our hearts.  How can we heal and change, accepting progress?   How can we move forward and truly desire happiness and freedoms for others — as much as we want them for ourselves?  How many of us have family and friends we deeply care for, who are black, “mixed”, Latino, Christian, atheist, Muslim, Buddhist, military, veteran, elderly, disabled, LGBT, on government assistance, unemployable, addict, incarcerated, had an abortion, undocumented, racist, sick, anti-progress?  How MUCH do we care for them?  Enough to heal?   I appeal to you all, especially men — to THINK about YOUR mother, YOUR wife, sweetheart, daughters, sisters, nieces, cousins, friends, grandchildren, sons, brothers, father — what do you want — available for them — in this country?  Is all this hate-talk, division and disrespect worth incurring this non-civil war?   Do we really want to go backward to an uglier time?   I think NOT!