Here’s a resolution for a year that promises to be as divisive and angry as any in America’s recent history: give blood.
With the elections still 11 months away, candidates already are emphasizing our differences, explicitly or implicitly appealing to voters along socioeconomic, racial/ethnic, religious, or other lines, often by magnifying real grievances or validating questionable ones.
Giving blood is the polar opposite. It is meaningful action taken for selfless purposes rather than empty words uttered for selfish reasons.
Most importantly, when you give blood, you don’t know who your donation will end up helping — a Black woman or a white man, someone who is straight or gay, liberal or conservative, rich or poor, a Muslim, Jew, Christian, or atheist. What you do know is that you are helping someone in dire need. And that’s a powerful reminder that while we may have important differences, the challenges that any one of us can face – a devastating accident, the need for a major operation, cancer – are far more important.
Over the course of almost 250 years, millions of Americans have shed their blood to secure the country’s independence, preserve its unity, or protect its people, land, and way of life from foreign foes. While giving blood in no way compares to the sacrifices those people made, it is a way for us to embrace their spirit of service, to literally give of ourselves for the benefit of other Americans.
In short, to donate blood is to contribute to the cause of American unity. It is, in this sense, an act of patriotism, and a rebuke to those who would divide us for their own ends.
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To learn more about donating blood, or to schedule an appointment, contact your local Blood Center or hospital, or visit the American Red Cross website at https://www.redcrossblood.org/.
Better Americans 