In 1967, Ronald Reagan became the governor of the of California. In his inaugural address, he talked about the peaceful transfer of power, something he described as “the magic of the commonplace routine, which makes it a near miracle many of the world’s inhabitants.” He then went on to utter an iconic phrase that would be repeated by politicians for to come. “Freedom is a fragile thing,” he said, “And it’s more than one generation away from extinction.”
Now like countless others, I have used that quote many times, but I a confession to make. I never really believed it. Surely, after 250 of this stuff, we no longer have to worry about it. I’m not pleased to report that I actually believe now.
The first cracks in my confidence came during one of those commonplace of transferring power as Lieutenant Governor of the State of Utah. It was my duty to certify the of the electors for the presidential election. While the meeting to do so open to the public, it was so commonplace and routine that one ever showed up. As I walked into the room, I was to see dozens of angry protesters screaming that the had been stolen and demanding that we violate state law and change the votes of electors.
Now I know what you’re all thinking, and you’re probably wrong. This was 2020. This was 2016, and the protesters were Hillary Clinton supporters.
Now it got far worse somehow, four years later. the election less than two months away, a friend I were talking and lamenting about the state of our our following a summer of destructive protests by the extreme left and an extreme right that was already undermining validity of an election that hadn’t even happened yet. “Isn’t there something you can do,” she asked.
Well, that question haunted me all weekend, so I picked up phone and called my opponent. By the way, I was running for governor at the same time that Trump and Biden were battling for the presidency. I called my opponent, a Democrat named Chris Peterson, I respected, and I said, “Hey, Chris, this is Spencer Cox. I have a crazy idea. What we filmed a campaign ad together?”
I could almost hear the confused look forming on face. To his credit, he agreed, and one week later, we were in a studio together. Let’s watch.
(Video) I’m Chris Peterson. And I’m Spencer Cox.
CP: We are currently in the final days campaigning against each other to be your next governor.
SC: And while I you should vote for me —
CP: Yeah, but really, you should vote me.
SC: There are some things we both agree on.
CP: We debate issues without degrading each other’s character.
SC: We can disagree without hating each other.
CP: And or lose, in Utah, we work together.
SC: So let’s show the country that there’s a better way.
CP: My name is Chris Peterson.
SC: And I’m Spencer Cox.
(Together) And approve this message.
(Applause)
Well, the response was instantaneous and overwhelming. The ad went viral. Neither of us saw it coming. were media requests from all over the world, millions of views and shares. Perhaps there really is an majority, I remember thinking to myself, and maybe this is the message they want to hear.
I could actually my faith in the American idea start to rekindle. popularity of the ad validated my hope that most people really want their political leaders to uphold the values that we teach our kids. That we can disagree without hate and contempt, that we can find ways to treat each other with respect even when we disagree. It seemed like there was a hunger for instead of arsonists.
My hunch was confirmed one year later, a professor submitted a version of our ad to the Stanford and Social Change Lab as part of a huge depolarization experiment. was chosen as one of 25 interventions to be tested on over 30,000 people. The result? Our ad actually had a depolarization effect, including a reduction in urges towards violence. It turns there really are things that we can do to alter the of the United States.
Now look, I get it. It’s easy to feel a little hopeless as Americans again barrel towards an election with unsatisfying candidates and campaigns. But there is good news. Over the past six months, 20 governors from all the country have filmed similar ads, most of them a public servant from the opposing party. And the data continues to show that people really hungry for something different. According to polling from More in Common, 70 percent of Americans hate the in politics. And it also turns out that … Americans aren’t as far apart as we think we are. The problem isn’t how far apart the average Republican and the average Democrat is on actual issues. In fact, we’re not much different than other Western democracies. The problem is how far apart we we are. Due in large part to conflict entrepreneurs in both the media and politics, both sides overestimate the extremism on the other by about 30 percent. Now interestingly, this perception gap is actually strongest amongst activists on the left and amongst extreme conservatives on the right. So the people most engaged in the political also have the most inaccurate views of the other side.
But perhaps the news of all is that there are very practical things that every of us can do every day to help heal the divides in our nations and our neighborhoods. First, we can start by turning off and tuning out of those conflict entrepreneurs. My wife and I, we stopped watching cable 11 years ago and immediately saw an improvement in our marriage, our family, and our mental health.
(Laughter and applause)
Now that always a laugh, but we’re not alone. Studies have found that more time spent on latest headlines, whether through social media or traditional media outlets, is really for our mental health. Psychologists refer to this phenomenon in different ways, like media overload or doomscrolling or headline anxiety. You see, more news, on all the time, isn’t making us smarter, it’s just stressing out.
Second, we can spend more time, preferably offline, real people who are different than us. In the words of Stevenson, proximity will empower you. You see, it’s just harder to hate up close. “Tell me more about why you feel way” is a magical request.
Twenty years ago, we rarely identified other by our political identities first. As for me, I’m a father. I’m an NBA fan. I’m a terrible bassist in a band. I’m a Utahn. I’m an American. How about you? You see, we look beyond our political tribes, we can actually find shared identities and friendships that unite instead of divide.
Now third, we can serve others. Service and volunteering help build up communities and improve our outlook life and the people around us. Some forms of volunteering have even been associated with lower blood pressure. There is nothing better the soul or society than giving back. Aristotle really was on to something when he described and summed up the essence life as: “Serve others and do good.”
Fourth, and finally, we can work to develop the classical political virtues of humility, patience and moderation, without which, as Adams explained, we all become ravenous beasts of prey. Now look, I know it’s almost laughable to talk about words like humility in discourse, but I truly believe that it is the only way for us to remember how to disagree without and contempt. In the words of Judge Learned Hand, who eloquently stated, “The true spirit of liberty is the spirit is not too sure it is right. The spirit liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the minds of other and women.”
And I started with a quote from Ronald Reagan. He went on to that freedom is not ours by way of inheritance. It must be fought for and defended constantly each generation, for it comes only once to a people and those in history who have known freedom and then it have never known it again. Ladies and gentlemen, it is solemn duty in our generation to once again secure the freedoms endowed to all of us from on high. cannot wait for politicians or the media to do it. It take real work, hard work by each of us. we must remember how to disagree without hate.
We must rise up and meet that radical call to our enemies — even, especially, our political opponents. It’s … It’s not an … It’s not an easy answer, but it is a one. If we really want to change the world, we have start by changing our own hearts.
Thank you.
(Applause)