Searching for Common Meaning in the Age of Polarization

“It is not between Red and Blue states; it is a battle about whether there is meaning outside of politics.”

During this presidential cycle, the campaigns of both President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden constantly tell us that this election is the most important of our lifetimes—a battle for the soul of America. It may be true, but using this kind of phrase has become almost like a rite of passage for every presidential candidate or pundit, rather than an objective statement to be taken seriously.

However, in our hyper-partisan times, there is an important battle being waged in the background. It is not between Red and Blue states; it is a battle about whether there is meaning outside of politics. Are elections (and politics more broadly) the most important things in our lives? Should they be? Certainly, politics and policy have an effect on the pursuit of happiness, but the question is whether they, themselves, are the main sources of happiness.

Historically, one of the most important ideas that has helped bring Americans together in a common pursuit of meaning has been the ethos of the American Dream, which has typically been defined as the promise of a land in which people are free to seek better, richer, and fuller lives. The American Dream is a vision for the United States. It is aspirational, not material, and it is forward-looking and ultimately cooperative. It is an invitation and opportunity to strive for something bigger: to achieve one’s full potential in the quest to live a meaningful life. But it is not an assurance. And, for many decades, injustices pushed that dream out of reach for many. These are tragedies that should never be forgotten but, rather, learned from so that every American has the freedom and opportunity to thrive.