In our politically divided America, it is comforting to be reminded of some spectacular things we Americans accomplished together in a non-partisan, shoulder-to-shoulder spirit without yelling at each other.
My wife and I just returned from a road trip out to Massachusetts and back, and we were so impressed with how beautiful the highways were as we cruised across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York State and Massachusetts. The roads were clean, the mowed grass was green, the trees were turning fall colors, all combined to make a common highway look like a peaceful park -- something we can all be proud of.
It was not always like that. Littering used to be a way of life surrounding us. You would be shocked to see what it used to look like with trash strewn along the median and shoulders of the highways. It was a mess! People would just throw their fast-food garbage right out the window going 60 miles an hour.
Slowly but surely Americans WOKE UP disgusted with our collective sloppiness. We came to a unanimous awareness that we should not be littering anymore. There were champions that kept pushing us such as Lady Bird Johnson, First Lady of the United States who was a strong advocate for highway beautification and anti-littering which culminated in the 1965 Highway Beautification Act. Now in Illinois, littering is illegal subject to a fine of up to $1,500, enhanced by citizen self-policing that has motivated us to clean up our act.
In these days of a hyper-partisan gridlocked federal government, it may not seem like we are getting much accomplished, but it does not have to be that way. Americans have identified goals for the COMMON GOOD and when the majority of citizens were for it, we got busy working together in collegial good faith to make things happen that have collectively made profound social impacts:
We started using seatbelts.
We began recycling paper and plastics of all types.
We stopped smoking inside and around public spaces.
We started protecting our air and water.
We started conserving our energy and water usage.
We started making our world accessible to the disabled.
We started advocating to give women equal rights and pay in the workplace.
We started respecting the humanity and rights of the LGBTQ community.
We started standing against the social poison of racism and prejudice.
We started standing against gun violence magnified by assault weapons.
We sounded the alarm that addictive social media is harming our kids.
We pushed climate change to the top of our existential threat agenda.
I am sure you could add to this list. We have made good progress towards achieving these majority-supported COMMON GOOD goals, but it has been two steps forward, one step back, and there is much more work to do. We have some big existential threats on the horizon (climate change, AI, nuclear war, et al) that threaten the world, and scientists and politicians cannot carry this burden alone. The American people must come together to help by standing shoulder-to-shoulder like we do every day in the workplace, in our schools, in our volunteer activities, on our sports teams, on the front lines of a natural disaster, or just having a friendly conversation across the fence with a neighbor, regardless of our respective religious and political ideologies.
Not too long ago, I attended a memorial service for a Chicago cop who was a lifetime best friend of my father-in-law. This man’s two sons both said the same thing in their comments during the service which I will never forget. They said (pushing back tears) that their dad would ask them and everyone he would meet each day:
“How can I help you?”
While I aspire to be that person, for me it is still a work in progress. But we all need to be our best version of a civil citizen by striving to take care of ourselves, take care of the ones we love, and also asking those we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with every day, “How can I help you?”
In this contentious historical moment, we could really use a BIG PROJECT that we could all get behind (at least, a majority of us) like Ladybird’s highway beautification movement; something bigger than all of us; something bigger than a president; something bigger than a wacky conspiracy theory (take your pick); something that’s unequivocally true; something that adds to the COMMON GOOD and does not leave anybody behind.
I’m sure there are some good ideas out there.
Thank you! Yes, "We have more in common than that which divides us". I believe in that and it is confirmed every day with family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and even strangers I meet.
Scott, love this column and so glad you are one Substack. It’s so important for us to find common ground and goals. This election is so divisive and can be disheartening. I really think most of us want many of the same things for our country. Just disagree on ways to get there.