In 1967, Ronald Reagan became governor of the State 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 it a near miracle to many of the world’s inhabitants.” He then went on to utter an iconic phrase that would be repeated by politicians for decades to come. “Freedom is a fragile thing,” said, “And it’s never more than one generation away extinction.”
Now like countless others, I have used that quote many times, but I have a confession to make. I never really believed it. Surely, after 250 years this stuff, we no longer have to worry about losing it. I’m not pleased to report that I actually believe now.
The first cracks in my confidence came during one of those commonplace routines of transferring power as Lieutenant Governor the State of Utah. It was my duty to certify the votes of the electors for the presidential election. While the to do so was open to the public, it so commonplace and routine that no one ever showed up. As I walked into the room, I stunned to see dozens of angry protesters screaming that the election had been stolen and demanding that we violate law and change the votes of the electors.
Now I what you’re all thinking, and you’re probably wrong. This was not 2020. This was 2016, and the protesters Hillary Clinton supporters.
Now it got far worse somehow, four later. With the election less than two months away, a 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 validity of an election that 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 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, a Democrat named Chris Peterson, whom respected, and I said, “Hey, Chris, this is Spencer Cox. I have a 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 a studio together. Let’s watch.
(Video) I’m Chris Peterson. And I’m Spencer Cox.
CP: are currently in the final days of campaigning against each other to be next governor.
SC: And while I think you should vote for me —
CP: Yeah, but really, you should vote for me.
SC: There are some things we both agree on.
CP: 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: I’m Spencer Cox.
(Together) And we approve this message.
(Applause)
Well, the was instantaneous and overwhelming. The ad went viral. Neither us saw it coming. There were media requests from all over the world, millions of views and shares. Perhaps there is an exhausted majority, I remember thinking to myself, and maybe this is the message they to hear.
I could actually feel my faith in the idea start to rekindle. The popularity of the ad validated hope that most people really do want their political leaders to uphold the that we teach our kids. That we can disagree without hate and contempt, even that we can find ways to each other with respect even when we disagree. It seemed like there a hunger for architects instead of arsonists.
My hunch was confirmed one year later, when a professor a version of our ad to the Stanford Polarization and Social Change Lab part of a huge depolarization experiment. It was chosen as one 25 interventions to be tested on over 30,000 people. The result? Our ad actually had a measurable depolarization effect, including a reduction urges towards violence. It turns out there really are things that we can do to alter the trajectory of United States.
Now look, I get it. It’s easy feel a little hopeless as Americans once again barrel towards an election with unsatisfying candidates campaigns. But there is good news. Over the past months, 20 governors from all across the country have filmed similar ads, most of them with a public servant from the opposing party. And the data continues to show that people are hungry for something different. According to polling from in Common, 70 percent of Americans hate the divisiveness in politics. And it also turns that … Americans aren’t as far apart as we think we are. The 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 are. Due in large part to conflict entrepreneurs in the media and politics, both sides overestimate the extremism the other side by about 30 percent. Now interestingly, this perception gap is actually strongest progressive activists on the left and amongst extreme conservatives on the right. So the people most engaged in the 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 heal the divides in our nations and our neighborhoods. First, we can start by turning off tuning out some of those conflict entrepreneurs. My wife and I, we stopped cable news 11 years ago and immediately saw an improvement our marriage, our family, and our mental health.
(Laughter and applause)
Now always elicits a laugh, but we’re not alone. Studies have that more time spent on the latest headlines, whether through social media or traditional media outlets, is really bad for our mental health. Psychologists refer to phenomenon in different ways, like media saturation overload or doomscrolling or headline anxiety. You see, news, on all the time, isn’t making us smarter, it’s 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 up 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 NBA fan. I’m a terrible aspiring bassist in a band. I’m a Utahn. I’m American. How about you? You see, if we look beyond political tribes, we can actually find shared identities and friendships that unite instead of divide.
Now third, can serve others. Service and volunteering help build up communities and improve our outlook on life and the around us. Some forms of regular volunteering have even associated with lower blood pressure. There is nothing better for the or society than giving back. Aristotle really was on to something when he described and summed the essence of life as: “Serve others and do good.”
Fourth, and finally, we work to 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 the only way for to remember how to disagree without hate and contempt. In the words of Judge Hand, who so eloquently stated, “The true spirit of liberty is the which is not too sure it is right. The spirit of liberty is spirit which seeks to understand the minds of other men and women.”
And I started a quote from Ronald Reagan. He went on to say that is not ours by way 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 have known freedom and then lost it have never known it again. Ladies and gentlemen, it is solemn duty in our generation to once again secure freedoms endowed to all of us from on high. We cannot wait for politicians or the media do it. It will take real work, hard work by each of us. But we must how to disagree without hate.
We must rise up meet that radical call to love our enemies — even, especially, our political opponents. It’s … It’s an … It’s not an easy answer, but it is a simple one. If we really want to change world, we have to start by changing our own hearts.
Thank you.
(Applause)