You wake up to an email from USA Today titled “Whose fault is the government shutdown? Watch Americans in 8 key states lay the blame.” As you’re constantly bombarded with these types of messages, you can’t help but wonder: how did America, the “home of the free and the land of the brave,” get to this divisive point?

The truth is, the turmoil in this country is not between two political parties — a Trojan Horse of hate shielding those from the real detractor — but rather the increasing wealth and class disparities between us and authoritarian figures.

The Trojan Horse tells the tale of Greeks winning the war against Troy by creating a wooden horse as a distraction: It has become an iconic cautionary tale of avoiding grand diversions and looking at the center of the problem. And yet, somehow, American citizens have fallen for the Trojan Horse and lost who the real enemy is. At the top of it all are the ruthless billionaires who gain power by creating fear and mistrust among each other, forcing citizens to rely on them for false promises of trust.

How long are you going to let this go on? When will you open your eyes and stop letting multi-billionaire dollar corporations reign over your country?

The answer is now. Stop choosing to be oblivious by falling back into conflict. Decide right now that you will not stand for tyrants dictating your every move. Because if you don’t, who will?

Communities must stick together in these desperate times. We have to ignore the distraction that is the two-party division and begin to provide for each other. Volunteer. Work with food banks. Support local businesses who care about the people. Look past political views and start viewing people as humans: humans who love and care just as much as you do. Do everything you can to unite our nation against those who want to distract us. Maybe, if we can unite again, we can regain our title of “liberty and justice for all.”