Chasidus was - and is - a GREAT idea. The Ba'al Shem Tov doesn't need my approbation but I humbly submit my view.
HOWEVER - like many great ideas, the implementation has not always been so smooth. The reason for this is the emotional and spiritual imperfection of man.
Among other things, the idea of Chasidus was to stress unity, achdus, Ahavas Yisrael, and valuing every type of Jew, even the sinners among us.
What has happened is that all too often, both in the past and until this very day, is that people feel alienated from those who are not part of their Chasidic group. Sometimes, this evolves into hatred and even verbal or physical violence רח"ל. Even within the SAME group there is often animus which creates a schism resulting in the creation of a new group with a new leader and whose identity is often defined very much by their opposition to their former group.
Sometimes the differing groups call each other sinners. At other times - flat out heretics! A NEW definition of heresy - you don't follow MY Rebbe!!
Oh how wonderful it would be if people realized that their "Chasidus" is not only the polar opposite of what the founder of Chasidus wanted, but much worse. It is the polar opposite of what Hashem wants and creates a situation that instead of being, as we say at Shabbos Mincha, a גוי אחד בארץ - one nation in the land, we are MANY nations, often at war with each other. If we lack the "גוי אחד בארץ" it creates a serious blemish in the realization of אתה אחד ושמך אחד.....
