Together We Stand For Unity
This past week has been heavy. It has brought a painful mix of remembrance and tragedy. The anniversary of September 11th, news of another school shooting, and the violence taking the life of Charlie Kirk. Each of these moments stirs up difficult emotions and heated conversations across our nation. They challenge us to pause, reflect, and, most of all, remember our shared humanity. Events like these provide us with the opportunity to unite or polarize. Many times, we choose the deepening divisions marked by hardened rhetoric, labeling people as martyrs and villains well before all the facts are known. In no way am I condoning acts of violence; the acts of violence we've witnessed in recent history are not justifiable. I am calling for the end of political divisiveness over our social ills.
When Words Become Weapons
Research shows that political hate speech doesn’t just divide us. Both sides push division when what we need most is understanding. Divisive language actually increases violence. Political scientist James Piazza (2020a) found that hate speech by politicians is statistically linked to higher rates of domestic terrorism, mediated through polarization. Studies of recent U.S. political speeches echo this: rhetoric that frames opponents as enemies and uses violent imagery normalizes hostility and emboldens extremists (Savin & Treisman, 2024). Groups like the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) warn that America faces a rising wave of politically motivated violence, right, left, and otherwise, that feeds off this cycle of rhetoric and retaliation (McCabe, 2025).
Remembering 9/11 Together
On September 11th, 2001, we experienced profound loss, but also profound unity. We grieved together. We supported one another. We stood together as Americans, regardless of politics, religion, or geography. We recognized that our differences paled in comparison to what we shared. As A Mighty Girl (2025) recently reflected this week, there is power in stories of courage, resilience, compassion, and community that can carry us forward and through these tragedies. Those stories can still guide us today, if we resist the temptation to divide the world into “us versus them.”
Breaking the Cycle of Polarization
Polarization isn’t just a political inconvenience. It’s a driver of violence, mistrust, and social fragmentation. It decreases national, community, and individual resilience. Whether in politics, faith, or daily life, demonizing opponents may rally a base, but it erodes the foundations of democracy and fuels authoritarian regimes. demonizing others only deepens the fractures in our communities. If hate speech fuels terrorism, as Piazza’s (2020b) research shows, then civility, dialogue, and bridge-building are acts promoting national security. Efforts like Braver Angels and BridgeUSA prove that it’s possible to foster conversations across differences without vilification. We can speak truth without dehumanizing those who see the world differently. Concern doesn’t need to turn into condemnation. We need more of that spirit now than ever.
Strategize Your Success
At Tactical Counseling, I believe that healing begins when we choose compassion over contempt. Resilience grows when we hold space for nuance, compassion, and honest dialogue. Division shrinks our humanity and capacity to connect. Healing expands it. Real, empathetic connection restores us. Whether you’re navigating grief, struggling through conflict, or finding yourself in a difficult transition, you don’t have to do it alone. It is possible to find balance without buying into an extreme. Together, we can find a path that honors both truth and unity.
Resources for Further Reading
- Three Months, Two Political Killings: The Poison in Our Politics — A Mighty Girl (2025)
- Two Decades Later, the Enduring Legacy of 9/11 — Pew Research (2021)
- Resilience is a Practice — Tactical Counseling (2025)
- When politicians use hate speech, political violence increases — The Conversation (2020)
- We analyzed 9 years of Trump political speeches, and his violent rhetoric has increased dramatically - The Conversation (2024)
- Minnesota Attack Is the Latest in a Rising Wave of Political Violence — CSIS (2025)
- Braver Angels
- BridgeUSA