Patriotism—this kind of devotion—is not something you do alone. For the word patriot has a derivative: compatriot, which means “fellow country people.” We are destined to be in relationship with one another. For we live together in communities, not alone.
If we wish to do something about the condition of our country, if we seek to improve our individual and shared lives, then let us tear down the walls that exist between us. Let us instead use our energies to build paths to one another so that we can, together, create a more hopeful society.
The incredibly nasty midterm elections have finally passed. Now what? I believe you don’t need to lie down and accept the current state of affairs, but that there are five practical steps you can take to engender more hope in our lives, communities and society. We must act. And you can.
I believe that we Americans—people of all faiths, of all creeds, of all heritages, ethnicities and races—face a fundamental choice. We can allow our society to descend further into a destructive divisiveness or we can create those things we share in common and get to work building upon them.