The Winds of March 2025

If this were a weather report, it would read that here in Washington DC, it is unusually blustery with chill winds - though with sun-filled skies at times too. Maybe that epitomizes how we are doing in our country.

Every winter, we celebrate several of our past presidents; we are also now getting ready for grand celebrations of America’s 250th birthday. These are opportunities to learn more about America’s history and core values.  Many of us do not know that some of our country’s founders - even our first president, George Washington - feared that our democratic republic would not survive. One of Washington’s great fears was that the growth of a two-party system could enshrine partisan conflict that would weaken us.

Now look at us!

In his superb 2024 book, Pursuit of Happiness, Jeffrey Rosen writes not about visiting spas and acquiring material possessions but about our founders’ ideas as to how we should conduct ourselves as citizens to shape and sustain our country. Rosen distilled some of the founders’ philosophies into an overall theme of taming our passions enough to practice civic virtue. (The organization Rosen heads is the National Constitution Center; it is an attractive and informative place to visit online and in person.)

We are people of strong passions and ideals. We hold diverse beliefs. But we are citizens of one magnificent country. As we approach the celebrations in 2026 of America’s birth, let’s pause to think. What will each of us commit to do to tame our passions enough to modulate partisan rancor and uncivil dialogue? Go on a media diet so we are not regularly exposed to anger and bias-triggering verbiage? Demand that our political party of choice give better than lip service to unity and civility? Find ways to reach out, listen and be civil to someone with whom we otherwise disagree? Find a helpful way to be of service in our community? These are all steps that can yield improvements and shore up our society.