Every day, there is growing anxiety and despair about our trajectory in the world. The stakes are high, the disruptive changes are fast-moving and widespread, and the consequences threaten to undermine our way of life and shared long-held values. Regardless of your affiliation or engagement with politics, the promises made are being kept—at your expense. 

Confusion and fear have created this moment of emerging political and social chaos. The new administration is exercising unilateral, unconstitutional authority to remove the federal government of non-loyalists, dismantle large portions of government services and programs, consolidate power, enrich themselves, and lay the groundwork for an authoritarian state. As they fulfill their destructive mission outside the public eye, the conditions have been created to keep the population distracted, divided, and distrustful of each other.

Initially framed as a fight to take back the country from a fictional cultural enemy, the real mission is to undermine the rights and representation of every American to enrich and empower the wealthy and their loyalists who perceive the government as a barrier to their narcissistic agendas. The intent to address campaign promises on issues that seemed to matter to everyday people, like high costs of living, are now noisy headlines and distractions. Behind the scenes, essential government services are being shut down, and congressional representation and authority are undermined. 

Unity in our differences is our strength and what makes a constitutional democracy and the promise of America thrive. Distraction by division and anger is how it unravels on our watch. The greatest threat today is not a war on culture or the loss of a representative government. Our greatest threat is turning one another into perceived enemies and forgetting what binds us together as people—our common humanity.

Anger and despair are natural feelings when we feel loss or disempowerment, but we cannot allow ourselves to become the kind of people we despise. Unchecked anger leads to bitterness, which leads to hate, retribution, and ultimately violence. The feelings of anger and bitterness have been relentlessly stoked into an uncontrollable wildfire that incited the January 6, 2021 riot on the United States Capitol building and brought the country to this political moment. While the pain and suffering have yet to be seen or felt by most, the longer we remain divided and angry toward each other, the greater the long-term consequences and destruction.

Anger is an appropriate emotion that must be channeled into constructive action. Where bitterness rots our souls like an untreated infection, hope is the prescription that heals our hearts. Restoring and building a better tomorrow will require courage that few societies have been able to conjure. It will require courage to act with compassion, forgiveness, and love for our neighbors. The courage to act by protecting and advocating for the rights, dignity, and equal representation of every person. And the courage to accept our shared humanity and embrace holistic, forward-thinking values that inspire hope for everyone. The courage to believe and act on creating a better tomorrow, together.

I’m dedicating my life to practicing and elevating this ever-important message. Stay connected and hopeful with me. If you find this daily newsletter helpful, please subscribe and share it with someone else.