“…in American history, the defenders of freedom have always prevailed. They are beginning to raise their hands.” (Robert Reich, March 11, 2025) 

May we join our hands with the hands of others. 

Our freedom is under attack. Leaders rule by intimidation and executive orders, with little regard for the rule of law. Revenge and retribution replace respect for the dignity of all, while obsession with power replaces care for the common good. Rather, groups splinter into warring factions. We are quick to blame and we refuse to accept responsibility for actions that cause harm. Opponents are enemies to be destroyed.

Our society is fracturing. We are losing touch with our moral vision, values that inspire and guide our thinking and behavior, our life values, what we care about, what we will fight for. We hear it in our public discourse, where healthy debates that respect and welcome opposing views are no longer possible. This animosity seeps into our relationships with family members, friends, and colleagues. Our personal relationships become strained from the weight of perpetual chaos, confusion, and overt cruelty. The people closest to us may feel like our enemies because we no longer seem to find a common set of values. 

And yet, I believe in the American vision first expressed by our early founders in 1776: 

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

Yes, the vision was limited to white men, most of whom were slave owners. Our country has been challenged again and again to live up the spirit of its own ideals. We fall asleep, we wake We evolve, we change things. Voting rights, civil rights, women’s equality, gay rights, religious freedom are among the many signs of progress toward becoming the democracy we envision.

In the 1930’s, Hitler’s vicious authoritarian rule was initially seductive to some. Heather Cox Richardson is a scholar of American History, Professor of History at Boston College, author of many books, and a frequent public speaker. In her book, Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America, she observes:

“America took a different course in the 1930s not because Americans were immune to authoritarianism, but because they rallied around the language of human self-determination embodied in the Declaration of Independence. They chose to root the United States not in an imagined heroic past, but in the country’s real history: the constant struggle of all Americans, from all races, ethnicities, genders, and abilities, to make the belief that we are all created equal and that we have a right to have a say in our democracy come true. People in the U.S. had never lost sight of the promise of democracy because marginalized people had kept it in the forefront of the national experience.” (page xviii)

This belief in the equality of all people is a spiritual principle that echoes teachings from religious teachings from around the world. In Christianity, each of us is a precious child of God. Our life purpose is to become like Jesus, to love one another as God has loved us. 

In the Book of Exodus, chapter 20:1-21, God speaks to the people in what we know as “The 10 Commandments”. These passages form foundational teaching for Jews and Christians around the world. The 10 Commandments offer a succinct moral vision for all humanity. 

 Buddhism and other eastern religious traditions are “non-theistic”, meaning they do not worship a god. Instead, they offer clear guidance and teaching for us to live compassionate lives, balanced with wisdom.

Religions differ in their images, language, practices, history, and cultural identity. But most offer a spiritual vision of human beings as essentially good (original sin not withstanding), capable of enormous creativity, production, and care. Religions also teach, as history shows, that humans cause horrific harm to one another, to other living creatures, and to the very earth we call home. The essence of religion is to guide humanity toward developing our highest virtues, such as courage, strength, honesty, discernment, and kindness, while steering us away from our human vices, like pride, anger, jealousy, and greed. 

How we live in our private lives shapes our decisions and behavior in public life and vice versa. Positive moral vision lays the foundation for creating communities — in our private lives and in the public square —that care for one another and respect the dignity of all. Without this vision, human vices unleash the worst in humanity. 

Now is the time, it seems to me, to pause, to focus. To reflect on what we most care about in our lives today, and look for ways to embody these values, privately and publicly. Maybe it’s about finding fresh voices on podcasts, or books, or trainings. Perhaps you want to try a new activity, or return to one that you’ve neglected, like art, dance, music. You may want to re-kindle an old friendship, or join a community in order to make new friends. 

This is a journey of recommitting to our values. It is also a journey of self-care. What activities, people, or groups do I need to pull back from? What voices do I need to put on “silence” for now?

Dan Harris is a former ABC news journalist turned podcaster. He is a longtime practitioner of Buddhism and a dedicated student of the well known Buddhist teacher Joseph Goldstein. Dan’s podcast, 10% Happier, focuses on applying Buddhist thinking and practice to life. In his March 12 newsletter, Dan urges we focus and strive to live with compassion, especially during these challenging times. He writes: 

“The key is to understand exactly what I mean by compassion. I am not talking about being passive or supine. Compassionate is not synonymous with doormat. 

Perhaps another way to define compassion would be ‘non-hatred.’ It comes down to this: What’s going to make you most effective in these divisive times? Anger and hatred may get you off the couch, but these emotions will eventually burn you out and degrade your cognitive capacities. Rage can even temporarily reduce your peripheral vision. By contrast, compassion—for yourself, for the vulnerable, even for your “enemies”—is a cleaner-burning fuel. It sustains you through the inevitable ups and downs. Compassion actually improves your peripheral vision.

If you wish for people on the ‘other side’ to be happy and healthy, that doesn’t mean you are rooting for them to succeed in whatever destructive plans you think they might have. Happy and healthy people tend to not want to destroy stuff. In fact, people who harm others are harming themselves. Hard as it may be to swallow, they deserve our compassion.They do not, however, deserve our complicity. Compassion in no way precludes taking decisive action.”  (Dan Harris, 10% Happier, March 12, danharris@substack.com) 

Elaine Heath is an ordained Methodist minister, a former professor of theology, and is the Abbess of Spring Forest, a new monastery that reflects a re-envisioning of Christianity in the world. This new reformation, she writes on her website: 

“is all about the emergence of a generous, hospitable, equitable form of Christianity that heals the wounds of the world. I believe much of the work for the church in the years ahead must focus on healing the wounds inflicted by Christendom so that the beauty and inclusive goodness of the Gospel can be heard, seen, and experienced.” (website: https://www.elaineaheath.org/)

In a recent post reflecting on the challenges in our current climate, she observes:  “If we learn to listen and watch for the divine, we will encounter God in the chaos.” 

Mystical Islam teaches that the Love of God shows us the way toward mercy and justice. The tradition leaves behind a history of extraordinary guides whose teachings are increasingly popular today. Rumi’s poem, The Guest House, appears frequently in churches, synagogues, Buddhist meditation halls, yoga studios, and other community events:

The Guest House

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

~ What struggles do you encounter living through this time? 

~ What choices, activities, and relationships support you now? What helps you return to balance?

~ Dan Harris’ question: What’s going to make you most effective in these divisive times?