If we’re all one, then why are we all divided?

Pueo - Nahko And Medicine For The People

Lyrics — [abridged]

There will come a day when the sun don't shine and the moon don't rise in it's cycle.

There will come a day when the stars fall from heaven all except seven. I'm seated on my horse with my face towards Taurus and I'm tremblin'

I got a spirit in my house, he’s been working through me, he’s got me talking in my sleep. He’s got me waking in my dreams, and I'm tremblin'

I've got my scroll and my feather gonna write it all down. Gonna write down what I remember and not tremblin'

If we're all one then way are we all divided?

I saw a white buffalo coming down off the hills. I saw an old white owl flying out from the fields He was coming for me. He was delivering a message. He said "There is a wolf in you" and then the earth began to move.

I heard trumpets blaring And a voice was saying, "You better start preparing start repairing" and I'm tremblin'

When the stars fall from heaven all except seven, I keep my bow to my back and my back to the dark. I keep a close eye out for the flash of the spark, but all I see is one star.

It is a map. It is a mark.

And I'm tremblin'

If we're all one then way are we all divided?

Wankan tanka when we be united.

If I must go, then I will go riding bareback into a storm of dark gray lightning.

If we're all one then way are we all divided?

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At a Sioux City music festival featuring the Dirty Heads and Sublime with Rome, my wife and I were gifted a CD with an assortment of different artists who performed at Shangri-la music festival at Harmony Park in Minnesota.

It’s remained steadfast in my wife’s CD player in her Wolfsburg edition Volkswagen Passat for years now. We had casually listened to it over the years, but in light of our political climate, this one song just spoke to me.

It asked this one question repeatedly—a question I continue to ask myself. So I’d like to present you all with the same question…

Why are we all divided?

Why do we feel this animosity towards each other? Is this truly a natural occurrence? Is this a natural consequence of a nation with such diversity?

I stand firm in my belief that without the manufactured outrage fed to us in the weekly news cycle, we could actually begin to mend the divide that has been created between us. We need unity to accomplish our goals. We need to remember that our goals are shared.

Stop letting negativity and prejudice run rampant in the marketplace of ideas. We have no obligation to allow these narratives to poising our minds.

But, we do have an obligation to our children to ensure the best future possible—one where they can create the best future for their own children. We need to focus on what matters.

This is what matters.