This change will not happen in the halls of #congress. It will happen in the daily lives of ordinary individuals. And ever so slowly, we will begin to live up to our nations motto: “E Pluribus Unum” - “Out of Many, One.” #USA #hope

We cannot do this all at once. There will be no sudden, cataclysmic event where this new perspective will come into being. It will happen slowly, as conversations and actions of aspiring #individuals reach critical mass.

We need to synthesize #traditional, #modern, and #progressive values into a larger, more constructive whole where each perspective provides “checks and balances” to the others through good-natured simultaneous #challenge and #support.

We change the world through the generation of novel ideas and the creation of new things all the time. And at this point in history, the essential “building blocks” for a new #perspective that can do this are all present in our #culture. Now, we need to put them all together.

Honestly, in the face of all that is happening in the United States and in the world right now this is a terrifying, seemingly impossible task. But once, having all the information in the world at our fingertips seemed incomprehensible. Now it is commonplace.

Anything other than some kind of #synthesis of that includes all sides will result in significant #cultural, #institutional, and #social regression. No matter how hard it is, this work MUST be done. It’s not about holding hands and singing kumbaya. It’s about a stable future.

Many will say that it’s a lost cause, to try to build a #bridge to the other - or that it’s a #moral failing to try to include the other side. But we simply cannot excise and eliminate half the country, and ALL of us deserve #affirmation of our inherent #humanity.

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

- Sun Tzu

Failing to do this prevents from doing two things:

First, we can’t understand the “other” - our enemy, our friend, whoever. Second, we fail to get additional frames of reference to fully understand our own worldview and values - ups and downs alike. This sets us up for failure.

The nuance that came from holding both perspectives felt strangely reassuring - because I felt like seeing it might help let us solve the problem in a more accurate, creative, and effective way. Is this what it means to think integratively? #CulturalSynthesis #Integration

I was, at least for a second, intuitively holding two different truths at the same time. Both sides, pros and cons, crystal clear. #right #left #politics #truth

I felt two things at once: excited we might balance the books more (the deficit’s a beast), and simultaneously frustrated we’re slashing programs that really matter. What blew me away was that historically, I would usually pick one #perspective, but in this moment?

Additionally, I plan to help cultivate a "space of agreement" online where we can see that while we may disagree in terms of political interests, our values are not mutually exclusive, and we all are striving to become better, more virtuous people. Let's see where this goes.

In time, I hope to make my own contributions in this space, both in terms of theory and application. I have been working on a major piece for the last 4 years that I hope to share following review from people in my life that I trust across the political spectrum.

My plan is to become more active on this site and detail my journey using this philosophy and others as I work to help bridge divides in my own life, integrating positive values across worldviews to make novel solutions that also work to "check and balance" the negatives of each.

I can more effectively empathize with those with whom I disagree, and being able to see their perspectives and grow as a result is exhilarating. As a result, I am also cultivating goodwill and respect with people all across the spectrum in my own life using these tools.

At the bare minimum, these ways of thinking have proven incredibly useful for me as I work to navigate values-based conflicts with a diversity of worldviews in both my work and personal life.

I believe that these ways lie at least partially in the models of Developmental Politics, Integral Philosophy, and bridge-building outlined by thinkers and groups such as @culturedevelops.bsky.social, @tanglenews.bsky.social, @fwdparty.bsky.social, and many others. Tag more people I should know!