Unity

I have this dark, pessimistic theory:
When someone starts promoting 'unity', they really mean "Why can't everybody else see things my way?"
When someone says "Why can't we all just get along?", what they are really saying is "If you saw things the way I do, we wouldn't have any reason to fight."

While the basic logic of those statements could well be true, that doesn't mean the world would actually be a better place.
If I say that 2 times 2 equals 5, and everyone else decides to follow suit, we wouldn't be on the right track--even though we would be in unity.

Globally, I could promote a particular system of government, say democratic capitalism (Hmmm sounds kind of familiar, doesn't it?). Having the rest of the world switch to the same system and philosophy of life wouldn't necessarily make the world a better place.
Nationally, I could promote unity by telling everyone to become a Liberal (or Conservative, NDP or Green) supporter. We might have unity, but I doubt if we would have utopia.
Religiously, it is even worse. Within Christianity (let alone other faiths) we have people and isms of every stripe claiming to be biblical. Their dream of unity is probably for everyone else to interpret the Bible the way they do.
Dangerous idea, actually. It can, and has, so easily lead to arrogance, pomposity, and even violence. We have an incredible amount of disunity as people write their books, preach from their pulpits and TV screens, and march against all manner of things, just because that is how they understand the Bible. Meanwhile, the little guy gets swallowed up in the politics of the system. Variety and creativity are stifled as being 'unbiblical'. Honest questions are quashed, and discussion and learning are replaced by bombast and brainwashing.
I admit, it's pretty easy to believe I am right, and everyone else needs to see things like I see them. Even this bit of musing about unity is trying to persuade you to see it like I do.
But I can guarantee you: I am out to lunch on some things (If only I knew which ones!), and on other things, there is definitely more than one way to look at the question at hand.
I don't think unity means being a bunch of clones of one particular leader. And don't try to tell me that trying to be the same as Jesus is the whole answer. That is what so many of us are indeed trying to do, but we are seeing different parts of His character, and none of us has come even close to seeing the whole picture.
That brings me back to my theory--it's way too easy to pretend that 'My way is the right way', and that unity will only come if you become like me.
I believe unity is the desire to walk together, even though we walk differently. It is a willingness to see the strengths in the other guy's position, and being ready to change your own position if appropriate. But sometimes, it is just as right to have different ideas of what 'truth' is, and to walk together anyway.
I think that is what true unity is.