Come on, now.
Stop it.
Or we’ll be put in time out.
We must stop acting like partisan, prejudiced, immature, self-centered adults and start acting like third graders. Conservatives and liberals, Democrats and Republicans, gays and straights, old and young, wealthy and poor, farmers and city slickers, whites and people of color—so many of us are in our little tribes protecting our own kind and ignoring or mistreating those we identify as being different from us. We can grow up if we’ll return to the values and behaviors we were taught to practice as early as third grade.
Respect Others
Can we treat others with kindness, courtesy, and dignity even when we think they’re bigoted, unethical, or morally wrong? The assassination of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk was atrocious and evil. Whether I disagreed with Kirk’s views or not, I need to respect and defend his rights and those of anyone in this country to voice their opinions without fear of violence or retribution.
Emulate Shirley Chisholm. In 1972, the most prominent white supremist and racial segregation advocate in the nation was Alabama Gov. George Wallace. Gov. Wallace was shot and paralyzed during an assassination attempt. Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman ever elected to Congress, visited him in the hospital and prayed with him. That visit nearly cost Chisholm her reelection. But she didn’t regret treating someone she fervently disagreed with respect. She did right.
Stand Up to Bullies
I may have power over employees or members of a group I lead; I may be upset or three sheets to the wind—that does not mean I have the right to force, to bully, people in the direction I want them to go.
Three cheers for right-wing Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. I thought I’d never write a sentence like that. Did you read Rep. Greene’s reaction when she was told that backing a bill ordering the release of the Epstein files would be viewed as a “very hostile act” by the White House? Greene says she told the White House, “You didn’t get me elected. I do not work for you; I work for my district.” Way to stand up to bullying, Marjorie.
Pull Together
The executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch of our federal government must not work at cross purposes. For our democracy’s health, the three branches must pull in the same direction. Yes, they’re independent of each other but they need to all follow the Constitution, the rule of law, and historical precedent.
That’s why the Supreme Court was wrong recently when that court allowed the executive branch to withhold more than $4 billion in foreign aid that Congress (the legislative branch) had approved months before. Executive branch, stop grabbing for more power. Legislative branch, rise from your inactivity. Judicial branch, cast out politics. Pull together as the separate and equal but complementary branches of government you are designed to be.
Provide Compassion
Can we understand and care about the feelings and needs of others, especially those least like us? Maybe I struggle to show compassion to government bureaucrats or liberals. Maybe you can’t relate to the needs of immigrants. Maybe she can’t relate to gays, or those who sit on the other side of the political aisle. It doesn’t matter. We all deserve understanding and compassion and empathy. Empathy is not a potential weakness, as the richest man in the world has claimed. Empathy makes us more human.
Product designer Patricia Moore chose empathy and compassion. At age 26 Moore dressed up as an 85-year-old woman to discover what life was like as an older person. She wore fogged-up glasses so she couldn’t see well, wrapped her limbs and hands with splints and bandages to simulate arthritis, and wore uneven shoes to make herself hobble. For three years she visited U.S. cities in this handicapped getup trying to walk through public places, climb staircases, open doors, and function in the kitchen (those pesky cans to open—you know). Her trials led her to invent many new products that have made living easier for the elderly. She helped the Americans with Disabilities Act become law and designed rehabilitation centers for U.S. war veterans with missing limbs or brain injuries.
Be Brave
Finally, can I demonstrate courage, face my fears, and stand up for what I believe in? It’s wrong for a president to use the Justice Department to mete out punishment on his perceived enemies. It’s wrong to fire FBI agents without cause or due process. It’s wrong to tell our generals that U.S. cities should be military training grounds. You and I need to stand up for what we think is right and fight to change what’s wrong.
We the people have the power, difficult as it may be, to return our nation to a stronger democratic state. It’s up to us. We can do this by clinging to and spreading wider the practice of basic human principles, values, and behaviors we learned around third grade. Let’s honor democracy, provide for all, and adhere to the rule of law. Let’s respect all others, stand up to bullies, pull together, provide compassion, and—maybe hardest of all—be brave.
Chris John Amorosino lives in Unionville.