NO VEMBER: FROM DIVISION TO VISION

So far, so unfair.
Today marks the first of thirty chances for November to prove the opposite —
to become the bright, long-nighted festival of light it secretly wants to be.
Or so I tell myself.

Still, I strongly suggest November should hire a good — no, an excellent — marketing agency.
Time to polish up that dreary brand image.
That would be quite a vision… or rather, a division.

Because division seems to be the mood of the age.
Not the mathematical kind — the social kind.

In math, division means sharing: ideas, resources, knowledge, peace.
In today’s world, it means the exact opposite.
We share only our prejudices.

Whoever looks different, thinks different, acts different —
they’re divided, not invited.
This social splitting is more than a buzzword; it’s a bruise.
A divided society no longer solves problems;
it protects its own wounds, its own ego, its own echo chamber.

Ouch.

Division — the slicing of humanity into little tribes of self-righteousness and conviction —
rarely leads to political, social, or cultural progress.

You can see it everywhere:
in debates, talk shows, protests.
Right versus left.
Fascist versus socialist.
White versus Black.
Loud versus quiet.
The list could fill the month.

Why all the fury?
When did discussion turn into demolition?
Solving problems isn’t about winning — it’s about working.
What could be more human than putting our heads together
instead of cracking them apart?

Homo sapiens has spent millennia learning the power of cooperation —
and lately, seems to have forgotten the password.

Since the pandemic, I’ve grown cautious about debating anything.
Too often, the tone curdles,
words sharpen,
and the air fills with missionary zeal —
myself included.
Everyone’s out to spread their one true gospel, whatever the cost.

Why does a different opinion feel like a personal attack?
Aren’t we all still learning?
Evolving ideas, strategies, solutions — for everyone’s benefit?

Science does it every day.
Researchers debate fiercely — and when proven wrong, they celebrate.
They want to be corrected,
because truth grows best in contradiction.

I love that phrase:

“According to the current state of science…”

It means knowledge is never fixed — always temporary,
always up for review.

Imagine if politics worked that way.
If leaders adjusted opinions the way scientists update data.
If facts mattered more than followers.

But ego rarely funds research.
We humans lean toward narcissism, vanity, and ambition —
fine fuels for competition,
poor soil for collaboration.
They thrive best, of course,
in the greenhouse of division.

But tell me —
who wants to live there?