Can you love a Democrat? How about a Republican? Here's how we can bridge our divisions.
Originally published in USA Today April 9, 2022
Think about how our conversations across political, racial and other divides would be transformed if they were grounded in love.
Odds are you agree that our country’s deep divides are bad for our democracy and that we need to learn how to bridge them. Poll after poll confirms this is how most Americans feel.
Strengthening the Social Fabric of the United States
Recently we met with Senior Program Officer Sharif Azami to talk about his work leading the Fetzer Institute’s democracy initiative, about its progress over the past five years and the fruit it is beginning to bear.
Our Spirituality Has Implications for Healing Our Democracy
Findings from the 2020 launch of our Study of Spirituality in the United States revealed a stunning fifty percent of respondents said that they desire to be more spiritual. Respondents also identified peace and love as the top two benefits of a spiritual life. This narrative—that people are open to, and yearning for, a more spiritual way of being that is grounded in love and care for one another—is far different than what is in the headlines.
December Practice: Visualizing Spirituality
Last year we released “What Does Spirituality Mean to Us? A Study of Spirituality in the US,” a groundbreaking study designed to help us explore what spirituality means to us and how it influences our civic lives. The study revealed that:
Depolarization Is Everyone’s Responsibility
As we approach the end of another tumultuous year, many of us are anticipating reunions and restoration. Looking forward to time with family and friends, we recognize the challenge of our separations and the need for human connection. But as we reunite, there are differences we may be burying. In fact, 45% of our nation’s adults now say that they have stopped talking about politics with others, either in person or online[1]. For good reason, some may argue.
November Practice: Appreciate Where We Come From
It is important for all of us to appreciate where we come from and how that history has really shaped us in ways that we might not understand. —Sonia Sotomayor
Beyond Winning and Losing: A New Model for Congressional Training
by Sharif Azami, Senior Program Officer, and Kurian Thomas, Vice President, Spiritual Transformation
American democracy is in a partisan death spiral. Here's how we can save it.
Originally published in USA Today July 25, 2021
Love means having the humility to see how much we need to learn from those whose experience of America has been different from our own.
I am persuaded that love is the only practical strategy for saving our democracy.
The Research Behind StoryCorps’ One Small Step Initiative
Recently our partners at StoryCorps shared the research behind its One Small Step (OSS) initiative, which was born out of increasing concern about the growing political divides and contempt in society.
Resources for Practicing and Healing Democracy
Each of us has the power to shape our democracy. Working together, we can transcend the labels that polarize us and realize what unites us. We can cultivate sacred connections with our neighbors and build a shared vision for our communities and our country. We invite you to join us in the actions below, most of which are created by our inspiring partners who are working to bring people together across divides and help heal our democracy.