Op-Ed: The Spirit We Must Reclaim
In his most recent op-ed, Gov. Kasich reflects on the recent events of political violence and offers a meaningful path forward for Americans. You can read the original op-ed at the Columbus Dispatch (here).
The assassination of Charlie Kirk, the shootings of Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses that resulted in two deaths, and so many other tragedies across our nation should stop us in our tracks.
These acts of violence are not isolated. They are part of a troubling pattern that points to something deeper: a shredding of America’s long-held values of tolerance, respect and neighborliness.
So, as we reflect on these tragedies and ask what can be done, I would urge us to start close to home.
What problem in your neighborhood could you help solve? Who could you work alongside, even if you don’t see eye to eye on everything? Where can you give some of your time and energy to bring light into the darkness? The answers won’t come from far away. They begin right where we live.
For most of our history, Americans disagreed, sometimes fiercely, about politics, culture and the direction of the country. But we didn’t view one another as existential threats to our way of life.
Today, that has changed. Too many people now see those with different opinions not simply as fellow citizens with another perspective, but as enemies who must be defeated. That is tearing at the very fabric of our nation.
And here’s the hard truth: There are no easy fixes.
People will propose various measures, banning certain things, adding new regulations or passing additional laws. Some of those proposals may be worth considering, but none of them get at the deeper crisis we face. The deeper crisis is that too many of us have stopped seeing the humanity in one another. We have forgotten what it means to live as neighbors, not adversaries.
So how do we begin to turn the tide? I believe the answer has to rise from the bottom up.
When people come together in their own communities to solve problems, whether it’s hunger, homelessness, addiction or the loneliness so many quietly endure, something important happens.
Those divisions we thought were insurmountable begin to fade. People who may have started out suspicious of one another begin to understand, and even respect, each other. Working side by side to meet a shared need softens hearts and changes minds in a way that politics and shouting matches never will.
In earlier generations, civic groups like Rotary, Lions Clubs and the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts played a key role.
They brought people from different walks of life together around a shared purpose and served as mediating forces in our society. Unfortunately, too many of those institutions are losing influence, leaving a vacuum in our civic life. We need to find ways to rebuild that same spirit of community and shared responsibility in the organizations and networks of today.
It reminds me of what happens in the military. Young men and women from every background imaginable are thrown together.
They may look different, think different, or vote different, but when they serve a mission bigger than themselves, their differences melt away. They emerge as lifelong friends, bound by shared sacrifice and trust.
That is the spirit we must reclaim in America: a spirit of community and shared responsibility, not hostility and suspicion.
I understand that this may sound like a boring solution in a world that craves quick fixes. But it’s the only one that lasts. If we want to rebuild tolerance, respect and neighborliness, it won’t come from the top down. It will come from citizens who decide to roll up their sleeves and solve problems where they live.
That doesn’t mean government has no role. Of course we need law enforcement and leaders who support justice. But government can’t repair the brokenness of the human heart. Only people working together, serving together, can do that.
In the end, the path forward will not be found in sweeping pronouncements or one-size-fits-all policies. It will be found in neighbors caring for neighbors, in communities tackling problems together, and in ordinary people making the choice to serve a cause greater than themselves.
If we commit to that, we can begin to heal the wounds of violence and restore the values that made America strong in the first place.