Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump, now it’s time we do our part. 

By all accounts, President Biden has inherited a country in utter chaos and disarray. Barely a few weeks separated his inauguration and an attempted insurrection at the capital, in addition to the still rapidly spreading coronavirus and its new and more contagious variants, and a depressed economy. To add insult to injury, the problems that plagued us before the year 2020 are still with us. The country remains divided and engulfed in a plaque of conspiracy. 

There are plenty of fingers to point when searching for blame on how we got here, but to truly begin healing the nation from its underlying issues, we need fewer fingers pointing outward and more thumbs pointing inward. Many of us have let our partisanship run wild, which is only fueled by radical conspiracy theories reaching your aunt’s Facebook page. If we wish that America would feel more united, follow these 3 steps to do your part. 

1. Don’t distance yourself from those who disagree with you. Distance creates distortion. If I separate myself from anyone who disagrees with me, it becomes easy to group them as individuals from the scary and dangerous “other side.” Stay connected to those whose ideas are uncomfortable or even radical. Listen and understand before attempting to debunk or argue. Uniting with those who agree with us is quite straighforward, but doesn’t move the needle in ending our deep divides. 

2. Forgive and reconcile with those which you have distanced. If we truly wish to unite the nation, forgiveness isn’t just a recommendation, but a life-saving antidote to the relationships between us all. Think of people in your life where 

your relationship has felt damaged due to politics in the past four years. Now is the time to forgive and to seek forgiveness. Work through the process of reconciliation, as uncomfortable as it may be.

3. Think critically. This nation is desperate for a rebirth of critical thinking. This means thinking about ideas that seem uncomfortable to you, questioning why you believe what you do, and watching, reading and judging media you wouldn’t normally consume. Don’t find yourself on an intellectual island. It’s time to abandon the vain of conspiracy and begin to have faith in our system, and that both sides want the best for our country if only by taking different policy measures to get there.

Our country has a unique opportunity to rebound from a divisive leader, conquer a deadly virus and put the past four years behind us. Our options are to unite and defeat these common enemies or continue spiraling toward destruction. 

Tyler Spence can be contacted at [email protected]