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