The Dirty Question: Will it Take Tragedy to Reunite the United States of America?

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #337

There’s a bitter paradox hiding at the heart of American life today: we are more materially comfortable, more technologically connected, and more socially “aware” than ever—and yet, as a nation…we are arguably more fragmented…mistrustful…and alone than we’ve been in decades.

We scroll past each other’s suffering. We argue over facts. We cluster into ideological tribes and grow convinced that those on the other side aren’t just wrong—they’re the enemy.

And yet, we all sense that something is missing. Something deeply human. Something binding.

Sebastian Junger, author and war correspondent…once touched on this paradox when reflecting on catastrophic crises like the Blitz in London or the 1915 Avezzano earthquake in Italy.

In Avezzano, an estimated 95% of the town’s population was killed. Nobles…laborers… and peasants were reduced to survivors crouched around the same campfires. One survivor said:

“The earthquake gave us what the law promises but does not, in fact, deliver—which is the equality of all men.”

Junger observed that in the wake of profound disaster…suicide rates drop…violent crime goes down…and mental health outcomes often improve.

People become better—not in theory…but in practice. Why? Because they suddenly need one another. Because crisis reawakens the human instinct to serve…protect…and connect.

The Double-Edged Sword of Crisis

No one in their right mind would wish for a catastrophe to befall the United States. And yet, we can’t ignore the brutal truth: tragedy has a way of uniting people in a way peace rarely does.

We saw this after 9/11. For a brief window of time…it didn't matter if you were red or blue…coastal or rural…rich or poor.

People checked on their neighbors. They flew flags. They lined up to give blood. They shared grief…vulnerability…and purpose.

The irony? That window closed quickly. And in the years since, we’ve arguably become even more divided than before.

So we’re left with this difficult question:

Does it take pain on a massive scale to truly bring us together?

And if so, what does that say about us?

The Psychological Power of “Us”

In times of comfort and safety…it’s easy to retreat into individualism. The stakes are low. The urgency is gone. But when catastrophe strikes…we lose the luxury of separation. Suddenly…everyone becomes "us." That shift has profound psychological effects:

• People feel needed again.

• The burden of self-focus (and its cousins: anxiety, depression, nihilism) is lightened.

• There is meaning in shared sacrifice…something that modern life rarely demands of us.

During the Blitz in London…as bombs rained down nightly…people didn’t crumble. They pulled together. Mental illness symptoms decreased. Crime dropped. Community soared. People found purpose in the rubble.

Crisis doesn’t just unite—it purifies. It strips away pretense…ego…and entitlement. It reminds us that our survival…and our meaning…are tied to each other—not just to ourselves.

But At What Cost?

It’s tempting to romanticize these moments of cohesion. But the cost is real human suffering.

• The Blitz killed tens of thousands.

• The Avezzano earthquake annihilated nearly an entire town.

• 9/11 left nearly 3,000 people dead and countless others traumatized.

Yes, unity was forged—but on the anvil of loss.

So if tragedy is what it takes to wake us up…then we have failed the test of peace.

Is that really the only way we rediscover our shared humanity?

Are There Alternatives?

Can we access the unifying force of crisis without the actual catastrophe?

This is the hope of movements rooted in service, volunteerism, and collective purpose. Think of:

• National service programs like AmeriCorps

• Community-based disaster response teams

• Local food banks and outreach groups

• Faith communities and shared ritual

• Grassroots political or civic organizing

These efforts replicate some of the conditions of crisis:

• Shared struggle

• Mutual responsibility

• A sense of mission

But let’s be honest: They rarely capture the urgency that disaster delivers. When comfort returns…so often does apathy. In peace…it’s easy to go back to scrolling.

So while these alternatives offer hope…they struggle to scale or sustain the kind of unity that emerges in the wake of a national trauma.

The Trade-Off: Popularity or Purpose?

In our culture…comfort has become the highest value.

But maybe that's the problem.

We crave safety…but we also crave meaning—and comfort often undermines both. When everything is easy…we forget how to sacrifice…how to serve…and how to stand up for anything beyond ourselves.

The truth is that a comfortable society can be a dangerously divided one—because people no longer see each other as essential.

And that’s what crisis restores: the necessity of one another.

A Call to Intentional Unity

If we don’t want a disaster to force us into community…we need to build community with the same urgency that disaster brings.

What would that look like?

• Prioritizing connection over convenience

• Choosing hard conversations over safe silence

• Practicing small, daily sacrifices for the greater good

• Saying, “You matter to me, even if we disagree.”

We don’t need to wait for a crisis to act like we’re all in this together.
But if we don’t act like it, we may get the crisis anyway—and by then, it may be too late to choose.

Now, take a moment…and ask yourself, “Do I think a call to intentional unity will actually replace a crisis full of pain that makes each of us necessary for the survival of the collective?”

When I ask that question, the answer I come up with is, “No. It’s unlikely that we will achieve that without disaster…pain…and literally being forced into either embracing each other…or perishing.

Until tragedy strikes…and impacts everyone…excuses like, “We’ve just been so busy lately,” or “Our vacation is in three weeks. When we get back I’m going to dig in and start recruiting friends to help talk to people in our community,” stand in the way of the kid of coming together with the staggering power to change an entire country…or the world.

As long as we’re comfortable…even comfortable…just enough…well, you know. That’s why it has usually required hellish conditions to bring a fragmented society back together in something that resembles “one piece.”

Final Thought

Tragedy can unite—but it shouldn’t be the price of unity we voluntarily accept as the only price we can pay.

Let us not be a people who simply shrug our shoulders and accept that we must be broken to become whole.

Let us at least attempt to reclaim the spirit of "us" before the earthquake comes… before the towers fall…before the fire spreads.

Because once we remember how much we need each other—truly need each other—we may just find the strength to become the nation we’ve always wanted to be. Together. Then again…we may not.

I don’t want a national tragedy, and I’m pretty sure that you don’t either. I’m just clear-eyed enough to understand human behavior, what motivates us…and what doesn’t.

I think we are all hopeful we can find our way…as a nation…because we wanted to; not because we couldn’t get it done intelligently, and …finally…tragedy struck.

If not, we always have life-shattering disasters to fall back on. We’re an interesting bunch, we human beings.

I’ll be back soon. Have an enjoyable day!

Warmly,

Jack