(ideas.)  I think it is important we acknowledge that our current national crisis is playing out exactly as expected. Although shocking, the news from the last few days is only a surprise to someone in true denial. America knew this was a bad idea. We did it anyway. We did it because we’re hooked on the drug of privilege, even though we know it will kill us in the end. We need an intervention. Hopefully, this is it.

A new vision for America that includes everyone is not so hard to conceive, and our changing demographics do favor of such an aspiration. Our only stumbling blocks are the vestiges of our old vision – epitomized by Trump, and by others who can’t yet see that the inequities, degradation, and limitations of the last century will never produce the long-term outcomes that we want. They can’t deliver the promise of our founding fathers, and they can’t tap into the zeitgeist of our time. With apologies to Mississippi, we’re at a Mississippi moment. We can fight against inevitable change, or we can embrace it and leverage change to our advantage.

If we look ahead, we can embody a new narrative for America that is not at all new. It starts with the principles of democracy manifest in vibrant cities, towns, and a verdant rural landscape that only together can deliver a shared, resilient, and equitable vision of prosperity and joy for everyone. To achieve that outcome, we simply have to see that vision. We have to look each other in the eyes. And we have to do the hard and honorable work of moving beyond this aberration to set a new, more equitable and resilient foundation for our lives and for our children.  >> Ryan Gravel