A trio of New Year’s resolutions that millions of people pursue to improve their personal lives also can go far toward enhancing our country’s political life and societal dynamics. Consider:
- Losing weight. Let’s resolve to shed the heavy burden of the disdain we too often feel for others with opposing views, the self-righteousness with which we present our own beliefs, and the cynicism that can make us lose faith in the value of consensus and compromise, patience and proportionality.
Action step: The next time you hear someone advance an idea with which you strongly disagree, do your best to just listen without verbally or mentally responding, dismissing, or deriding. After that, think about what they had to say, and about why they may hold that position. You’re not likely to suddenly embrace their thinking, but you may come away with a better appreciation of why they feel the way they do – and of how you might engage with them more effectively. - Following a better diet: Let’s resolve to stop consuming the “fast food” of snarky social media posts, sound bites, and slogans in favor of following a fact-based diet that, like a good home-made meal, requires more time and work but is far more nutritious and satisfying.
Action step: Select an issue you care about deeply and read a substantive, fact-filled article on the topic written by an academic researcher or other disinterested party. Your effort may be rewarded with a trove of new statistics that can be used to champion your cause more convincingly – or it may reveal nuances that argue against a hard-and-fast approach. Either way, your opinions and our political discourse will be the better for it. - Enhancing our relationships with others. Let’s resolve to remember that — whether you voted for Joe Biden or Donald Trump – more than 70 million people voted for the other candidate. Those opposing ranks include relatives, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. How are you going to get over your political differences with them? You’re probably not, and the more you try, the more likely you are to end up in an argument.
Action step: Reach out to someone important to you who has political views very different than your own, and talk with that person about anything except politics. Too often, we neglect strengthening the ties that bind in favor of widening the gaps that separate us.
Driving significant, sustained change is very difficult, whether in our personal lives or in the political life of our nation. In both cases, however, the benefits are well worth the effort. Happy new year!
Better Americans 