John Wood, Jr. delivers the keynote speech on day one of the Weave the Social Fabric Project conference, on race and the power of love as a social value to transcend our divides.
Read the full speech by Braver Angels CEO Maury Giles given at the National Conference on Citizenship explaining the vision behind Braver Angels’ new program, Citizen-Led Solutions.
September 10th was a devastating day for our nation. There are no words for the loss of Charlie Kirk. Our hearts are with his family and loved ones. It’s on each of us to stop this dangerous cycle of mutual destruction. No matter where we stand on the political spectrum, here’s what we must do in the wake of this tragedy.
Before the events in Utah, today—September 11—was already a somber day of remembrance. Twenty-four years on, we honor the lives lost and the resolve that followed. That same resolve is what we need now. We are all shocked by the assassination of Charlie Kirk yesterday. We are saddened—and moved to act—by the pattern of political assassinations and attempts over the last 14 months. We will avoid speculation and await official updates even as we care for one another and our communities.
How do we, as Braver Angels members, respond?
3 thoughts on “John Wood, Jr. speaks at the Aspen Institute’s #WeaveThePeople 2019”
While I agree in general with the thrust of John’s assertion – Love is where it’s at (excuse my paraphrasing), it will not yield to the sometimes quoted saying, “fake it until you make it”. My belief is that our love, in general, is smothered by our fear.
So, if you accept what I have said so far, then our first task should be, figure out how to reduce/eliminate our fear. In our relationships with others, a good first step is to get to know them better, thereby reducing the sense of “other”. I would also argue that obtaining a better understanding of how fear is generated – in ALL of us – that this would take us a long way toward reducing that fear and enabling us to demonstrate and exemplify the LOVE John is talking about.
John, this was excellent. Thanks for sharing so much of yourself in your discussion. I pray that the Spirit that was with you will be with me as I preach this Sunday on a message that could be polarizing if not listened to with love.
Thank you brother. It means a lot. And I know the Spirit is with you.