I started this blog eight years ago after the first election of Donald Trump. It was (and is) an introspective reflection of what I aspire to be and the good I see in the world. The lead up to the 2016 election was filled with vitriol and hate. My first blog post was about how we need reconciliation as a country. It pains me to say we find ourselves in an even deeper hole eight years later. 

After Trump’s first election, I took a step back. I could not wrap my head around why conservative Christians would elect a person who so blatantly disregards the principles they stand for. I took a deep dive into meta-cognition, asking myself: how do I know what I know? I read the classics, from Plato and Aristotle to Descartes and Kant. I researched psychology from William James to Martin Seligman to Philip Zambardo. I studied history from Caesar, to Lincoln, to George Marshall. Along with readings in business, economics and leadership, I have read over 400 books since Trump’s first election. 

Below are the timeless takeaways I have found:

1. In our hearts, people deeply desire to love and be loved. To do good and be good. To connect and be connected.
2. People fear losses more than they appreciate gains. The fear of loss is the most powerful motivator and is genesis of hate between people.
3. Individuals take logical actions based on their frame of reference. The clearer your frame is, the better outcome you will receive. 
4. There is more information available than any individual’s ability to understand it. Thus, we all have incomplete frames of reference. 
5. Individuals, communities, and nations prosper when they collaborate with their neighbors. 
6. The suffering of individuals, the failing of communities, and the collapse of nations is not caused by the presence of enemies. It is caused by the apathy of friends.
7. The arc of history bends toward justice. We are living in better times today than at any point in history. 
8. There are powerful forces working to misinform you because they are afraid of losing their own power. 

I find these takeaways to be most relevant, because I truly believe we need to re-ground ourselves in fundamental truths before we can address the current state of global and national geopolitics. Our problems are rooted in the tension created by the above truths. However, I believe the majority of Americans believe in a better future and are willing to work toward it. We want a better form of leadership. 

I also believe their is overwhelming agreement on the below principles, even if their is disagreement upon the policy solution:

1. Working middle class people have been left behind by globalism. Although the total economy has expanded, the majority of the benefit has gone to the elite. 
2. The two party system has been corrupted by finances and is not serving average Americans. Politicians have to spend too much time raising money and not enough time solving problems. 
3. Concentration of power in the Federal government and mega-corporations is an inherent problem, because it concentrates power in the hands of very few people. As noted, no one has a perfect frame of reference, so concentrated power will ALWAYS result in distorted outcomes. 
4. We believe in both individual freedom AND collective action. We want laws that work and are enforced. We want leaders who inspire us to build better communities. 
5. We are terrified by the path we have been headed down for the past eight years. It seems that no matter who is in office, the problems we face are amplified rather than resolved. 

I am writing these things because I need to bring back the best version of myself. The person who believes we can work together for a brighter future. Make no mistake, I remain and will remain a staunch opponent of Donald Trump, and any follower of his who uses fear mongering to divide us. But I remain open to any conservative idea that reflects love, peace, rationality and prosperity. 

I believe it is incumbent upon you and me, the average citizens of America, to discard the divisiveness currently defining American politics. We need to throw out the labels of Republican and Democrat. We need to tune out Fox News and MSNBC. We need to turn off our phones and head to the library. We need to talk to our neighbors with the intent to understand their struggle, not to convince them of our own righteousness. 

I will admit, it has been difficult to maintain a positive outlook recently, for personal, professional and political reasons. At times, I have not showed up as the person I aspire to be. And yet, alert and healthy natures realize that the sun rose clear. It is never too late to give up our prejudices. 

In the coming weeks, months and years, I hope to continue sharing with you, both to gain understanding of our world and to inspire myself and others in becoming the people we aspire to be, to build the communities we want to live in and to continue writing a uniquely human story, where good people stand together in the face of adversity to create a better world for us all.