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 as “the simple magic of the commonplace routine, which makes a near miracle to many of 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,” said, “And it’s never more than one generation away from extinction.”
Now like countless others, have used that quote many times, but I have a confession to make. I never really believed it. Surely, after 250 years of this stuff, we no longer have to worry about it. I’m not pleased to report that I actually believe it now.
The first cracks in my confidence came during one of those commonplace routines of transferring power as Governor of the State of Utah. It was my duty to certify the votes of the for the presidential 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, was stunned to see dozens of angry protesters screaming that the election had been stolen and demanding that we violate state and change the votes of the electors.
Now I know what you’re all thinking, and you’re probably wrong. This 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 months away, a friend and I were talking and lamenting about the state of our our country following a summer of protests by the extreme left and an 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 all weekend, so I picked up the phone and called opponent. By the way, I was running for governor the same time that Trump and Biden were battling for presidency. I called my opponent, a Democrat named Chris Peterson, whom I respected, and I said, “Hey, Chris, this Spencer Cox. I have a crazy idea. What if we filmed 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 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 while I think should vote for me —
CP: Yeah, but really, you should vote for me.
SC: There are some things both agree on.
CP: We can debate issues without degrading each other’s character.
SC: We can disagree without hating each other.
CP: And win or lose, in Utah, we work together.
SC: So let’s show the country there’s a better way.
CP: My name is Chris Peterson.
SC: And I’m Spencer Cox.
(Together) And we approve this message.
(Applause)
Well, the 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 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 idea start to rekindle. The of the ad validated my hope that most people really do want their political leaders to the values that we teach our kids. That we can disagree without hate contempt, even that we can find ways to treat other with respect even when we disagree. It seemed like was a hunger for architects instead of arsonists.
My hunch was confirmed one year later, when 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 interventions to be tested on 30,000 people. The result? Our ad actually had a measurable depolarization effect, a reduction in urges towards violence. It turns out there really are things that we can do to alter the trajectory of the United States.
Now look, I get it. It’s to feel a little hopeless as Americans once again barrel towards an election with unsatisfying candidates and campaigns. But there is good news. Over the past months, 20 governors from all across the country have filmed ads, most of them with a public servant from the opposing party. the data continues to show that people really are hungry something different. According to polling from More in Common, 70 percent of hate the divisiveness in politics. And it also turns that … Americans aren’t as far apart as we think we are. The problem isn’t how far apart the 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 conflict entrepreneurs in both the media and politics, both sides overestimate the extremism on the other side about 30 percent. Now interestingly, this perception gap is actually strongest amongst progressive activists on the left and amongst extreme conservatives on right. So 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 that there very practical things that every one of us can do every to help heal the divides in our nations and our neighborhoods. First, we can start by turning off and tuning out some of those conflict entrepreneurs. My wife and I, we watching cable news 11 years ago and immediately saw an improvement our marriage, our family, and our mental health.
(Laughter 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 health. Psychologists refer to this phenomenon in different ways, like media saturation or doomscrolling or headline anxiety. You see, more news, all the time, isn’t making us smarter, it’s just stressing us out.
Second, we can more time, preferably offline, with real people who are than us. In the words of Bryan Stevenson, proximity will empower you. see, it’s just harder to hate up close. “Tell me about 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 NBA fan. I’m terrible aspiring bassist in a band. I’m a Utahn. I’m American. How about you? You see, if we look beyond our political tribes, we can actually find shared identities friendships that unite instead of divide.
Now third, we can serve others. Service and help build up communities and improve our outlook on life and the people us. Some forms of regular volunteering have even been associated with lower blood pressure. There is nothing better for soul or society than giving back. Aristotle really was to something when he described and summed up the essence of life as: “Serve others do good.”
Fourth, and finally, we can work to develop the classical political virtues humility, patience and moderation, without which, as John Adams explained, we all ravenous beasts of prey. Now look, I know it’s almost laughable to talk about words humility in political discourse, but I truly believe that it is the only way for us to remember how to disagree without hate and contempt. In words of Judge Learned Hand, who so eloquently stated, “The true of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure it is right. The spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to the minds of other men and women.”
And I started with quote from Ronald Reagan. He went on to say that freedom is not ours by of inheritance. It must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people and those in history who known freedom and then lost it have never known it again. Ladies and gentlemen, it is our solemn duty in our generation to once secure the freedoms endowed to all of us from on high. We cannot wait for politicians or media to do it. It will take real work, hard by each of us. But we must remember how disagree without hate.
We must rise up and meet that radical to love our enemies — even, especially, our political opponents. It’s … It’s not an … It’s not an easy answer, but is a simple one. If we really want to change world, we have to start by changing our own hearts.
Thank you.
(Applause)