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I have what may seem to you a surprising prediction—that we will actually see a resurgence of ethical concern and ethical behavior over the next four years. The difference is that this resurgence will occur in the daily lives of Americans and in their local communities, not in national government and policy. Yes, we will be fighting to retain the basic personal integrity and concern for minorities in national policies, as well as the survival of democratic norms and guardrails. This will occupy way too much of our time in the near future. But, with the national arena being primarily a rearguard action, ethics in our personal lives and in our day-to-day encounters with others in our local communities can, and I predict will, be fertile ethics ground. I would even argue it is already starting as the strife in our local communities, inflamed by national politics, is subsiding. For folks on the left, such as myself, there is a critical need to use this time to listen well to the pain encountered by the 80% who feel they were left out of American economic growth and were not listened to by the elite in recent years. For folks on the right, given their triumph in the presidential election, there is a critical need to restore some of the web of care and relationships which have long characterized local communities but were destroyed by national politics and social media. To restore these communities of care, we have to focus on personal interactions, not the inflammatory language of social media nor the extremists on either side. We have to shape a new way to cooperate for local priorities and progress. The left has to block out the strident voices who think everyone who is concerned about the surge of immigration or who opposes transgender accommodation is a reprobate. The right has to block those voices that see everyone who favors diversity or environmental sustainability as revolutionaries out to destroy our economy and social fabric. Both sides also have to reject their extremists who openly espouse racist and sexist opinions, or who display an open disgust for organized religion. There is a growing diversity in every American community, some driven by immigration, that can lead to greater understanding rather than racial animosity. Even the most insular communities have demonstrated some capacity to adjust to differences. And there is a rediscovery of spiritual and religious sensibilities and values among all Americans, even among the most liberal and urban. And most local churches, despite recent attempts to politicize all religion in America, still welcome their neighbors and focus on fellowship for all comers. Between 1900 and 1920 there was a wave of civic organizing in the United States—the creation of the Rotary and Lions Clubs, a rapid growth of Elks Clubs. Though these were men-only organizations at the time, they were still attempts to enhance local neighborliness and care for each other—in small towns but also in the growing cities where folks from rural areas were moving. I think we are poised for a new era of civic entrepreneurship at the local level. We need hundreds of new community outreach programs that bring ethnic and racial groups—and socio-economic classes—together to learn from each other. We need a new generation of community partnerships, nonprofit organizations, and civic initiatives that address local economic development, educational, health and community needs in ways that bridge ideological divisions. Basic ethical concern and care for each other can be birthed in such efforts. The “Wild West” gave way to small-town, middle-class values in the early part of the 20th century; the strident partisanship and community strife of the 2010s and 2020s can give way to a renewal of local care and community values if we work at it. I cop to being an optimist, but I believe the disgust most feel for the name-calling and disrespect of the past 10 years will give way to green shoots of civility and cooperation at the local level. In the process, we will reaffirm our ethical commitment to each other despite the rancor at the national level. But it will require every one of us to find our own way to reach out to those in our community who are not in our social or economic circles. In some communities, organizations with this purpose already exist. In my own community, American Leadership Forum Silicon Valley serves some of this purpose. Just maybe we will look back 50 years from now and say this was when a new generation of local civil initiatives were founded—and saved American democracy in the process.
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