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