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Indivisibilty is our Essence

New Orleans' recently removed four monuments to the Confederacy from the city.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu gave a moving, thoughtful, and inspiring speech explaining the history, context, and necessity for this action.

I came to watch his speech after reading Frank Brunei's column, I recommend you, too, read this column and then watch the video embedded in his column. It's worth the time. And tell others to read and watch it, too.

That's what we have to do - we have to tell others to read, watch, listen, read, consider - it's how we'll come together and open our minds to find a way to come back together.

Landrieu made a beautiful point, "Indivisibility is our essence", he said about the United States of America. He's right. He's 100% right. The Pledge of Allegiance calls for "one nation, indivisible under god", that's our essence. We must remember that - and to truly be indivisible, we must find a way that we are all part of one nation, not some more worthy and some less worthy.

He beautifully contrasts history with the present. We must, he argues, look to the potential of the future, and not dwell on the past. By dwelling on the past, we remain in it. By considering what is possible, we can consider what we can become, and we can work to make that future a reality. These monuments are an effort to hold onto the past, and even worse, remain in an outdated time. As Landrieu said, the Confederacy was "on the wrong side of history, on the wrong side of humanity".

It's a powerful message in a time when such discourse is dearly needed.

And it's not just in the United States. His message is a universal message. The lessons he shares as he looks back at the process needed to get to the day of removing the statues is insightful and enlightening. Humans don't like to lose and whenever possible we attempt to hold on to our historical narrative. I would argue that the losers, those on the wrong side of history or humanity, strive to hold on to their narratives ever more firmly, placing them in the present instead of leaving them in the past. This fallacy causes us to live in a present shackled to the past, unable truly to move forward.

Let us all learn from Landrieu's words and thoughts and find ways to apply them to our own history, our own reality, our own future.
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