In 1967, Ronald Reagan became the governor of the State of California. his inaugural address, he talked about the peaceful transfer of power, something he as “the simple magic of the commonplace routine, which makes it a near miracle to many of the world’s inhabitants.” then went on to utter an iconic phrase that would be repeated by 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, I have used that quote many times, but I have a confession to make. I never believed it. Surely, after 250 years of this stuff, we no have to worry about losing it. I’m not pleased to that I actually believe it now.
The first cracks in my confidence came during one of those routines of transferring power as Lieutenant Governor of the State of Utah. It was my duty to certify votes of the electors for the presidential election. While the meeting to do so was open to the public, it was so and routine that no one ever showed up. As I walked into the room, I was stunned to see dozens angry protesters screaming that the election had been stolen and demanding that we violate state law and change the of the electors.
Now I know what you’re all thinking, and you’re wrong. This was not 2020. This was 2016, and the were Hillary Clinton supporters.
Now it got far worse 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 country following a summer of destructive protests by the extreme left and an extreme right that was already undermining the 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 were battling for the presidency. I called my opponent, Democrat named Chris Peterson, whom I respected, and I said, “Hey, Chris, this is Spencer Cox. I have a crazy idea. if we filmed a campaign ad together?”
I could almost hear the look forming on his 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 Spencer Cox.
CP: We are in the final days of campaigning against each other to be your governor.
SC: And while 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, in Utah, work together.
SC: So let’s show the country that there’s a better way.
CP: My name is Chris Peterson.
SC: I’m Spencer Cox.
(Together) And we approve this message.
(Applause)
Well, the response was instantaneous overwhelming. The ad went viral. Neither of us saw it coming. There were requests from all over the world, millions of views and shares. Perhaps there really is an exhausted majority, I remember thinking to myself, and maybe this is message they want to hear.
I could actually feel my faith in the American idea start 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. That we can without hate and 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 confirmed one year later, when a professor submitted a version of our ad to the Stanford Polarization and Social Change Lab as of a huge depolarization experiment. It was chosen as of 25 interventions to be tested on over 30,000 people. The result? ad actually had a measurable depolarization effect, including a reduction in urges towards violence. 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 towards an election with unsatisfying candidates and campaigns. But is good news. Over the past six months, 20 governors all across the country have filmed similar ads, most of them with a public servant from opposing party. And the data continues to show that people really are for something different. According to polling from More in Common, 70 percent of Americans the divisiveness in politics. And it also turns out that … Americans aren’t as far apart as we think we are. problem isn’t how far apart the average Republican and the Democrat is on the actual issues. In fact, we’re not much different other Western democracies. The problem is how far apart we think are. Due in large part to conflict entrepreneurs in the media and politics, both sides overestimate the extremism on the other side by about 30 percent. Now interestingly, this perception gap is actually amongst progressive activists on the left and amongst extreme conservatives the right. So the people most engaged in the political also have the most inaccurate views of the other side.
But perhaps best news of all is that there are very practical things that every one of us do every day 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 I, we stopped watching cable news 11 years ago and immediately saw an improvement our marriage, our family, and our mental health.
(Laughter and applause)
Now that elicits a laugh, but we’re not alone. Studies have found that more time spent on the latest headlines, whether through social media or traditional outlets, is really bad for our mental health. Psychologists refer to this phenomenon in different ways, like media saturation overload 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 spend more time, preferably offline, with real people who different than us. In the words of Bryan Stevenson, will empower you. You see, it’s just harder to hate close. “Tell me more about why you feel that way” is a magical request.
Twenty years ago, we identified each other 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. How about you? see, if 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 communities and improve our outlook on life and the people around us. Some forms of volunteering have even been associated with lower blood pressure. There is nothing better for the soul 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, which, as John Adams explained, we all become ravenous beasts of prey. Now look, I know it’s almost laughable to talk about words like humility in political discourse, I truly believe that it is the only way us to remember how to disagree without hate and contempt. In words of Judge Learned Hand, who so eloquently stated, “The true spirit liberty is the spirit which is not too sure it is right. spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the minds of other men and women.”
And started with a quote from Ronald Reagan. He went on to say that is not ours by way of inheritance. It must be fought for and constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people and those in history who have freedom and then lost it have never known it again. Ladies gentlemen, it is our solemn duty in our generation to again 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 work by each of us. But we 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 simple one. If we really want to change the world, we have to by changing our own hearts.
Thank you.
(Applause)