Summarized from Stitched Soul by Ryan Polly
When I was eight years old, I was locked in what felt like the most important battle of my life: tug-of-war against a wall of older, stronger kids. The rope left blisters on my palms as I leaned back and pulled, staring at my opponents like they were enemies. Then something extraordinary happened. One kid stopped pulling and asked, “Wanna go to the swings?” Just like that, the battle dissolved. Kids from both sides were laughing, comparing rope burns, running off together.
Nearly forty years later, I see the same desperate grip everywhere. People align themselves with a side and pull. But this rope stands between moral beliefs, religious convictions, what people see as right and wrong. And this rope has real consequences. Looking down at the other side, people see hate, delusions, violence. Both sides feel their values are at risk. Neither can let go.
What if both sides are pulling from the same place? From fear and a desperate desire to protect what matters most? What if instead of finding better strategies to win the tug-of-war, we simply set down the rope? Maybe the revolution we need isn’t about pulling harder. Maybe it’s about learning to love each other back to wholeness.
