RICHMOND, Va. -- For the past couple of years it really seems like we've really been after each other. The left and the right, and all of our other divisions.
And on the fringes, there is a small bunch of attention-seeking idiots spewing hatred, committing violence and fighting each other.
That is not us.
Then along comes Harvey and its winds and disastrous 50 inches of rain on south Texas.
More than 30 people killed, thousands of homes destroyed and tens of thousands more damaged.
We saw the rescues, from professionals to regular folks with boats and beds, hugs and hope.
And then comes the flood of humanity - from Richmond and all across the country.
Giving blood, supplies, nourishment for humans and animals, millions and millions of dollars out of our own pockets.
Waves of people, rushing in to help each other, hold each other.
This is us.
We see this in every disaster and crisis, from this flood to 9/11. All the sudden our differences disappear, our outrages of the week seem petty.
We are all brothers and sisters.
This is truly who we are every day, here and across the country, from holding doors for each other to standing up for each others' rights.
It's amazing what we can do.
I think we've kind of forgotten how blessed we have been, really, for the past six or seven years. No outside terrorist attacks, no hurricanes, low gas prices, rising employment, a growing economy.
And yet here we are, pushing and pulling on each other on social media and in the news, like we are at war with each other.
Yes, five percent of the dividers, haters and mess makers get all the attention.
But here we are, together, meeting the challenge of Hurricane Harvey like champions and sweethearts.
So how do we maintain, or even grow, this sense of brotherhood and sisterhood when there's not a crisis?
How can we grow our blessings and show the world who we really are?
My guess is, by focusing less on that five percent or so who make all the mess and get all the attention and focus more on the 95 percent of us who are doing the right thing and reaching out to one another.
This is us.
