Are We There Yet? vol. 249
In The Washington Post last week, Alexandra Hudson wrote an Op-Ed piece about one way to save friendships. Ms. Hudson is “passionate about the way that ideas and storytelling change people’s lives” and is the author of The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves.
The point of her piece was that our society is very fragmented right now, especially politically, and that many families and friendships have been damaged because of differing views. The headline for the Op-Ed is “Want to save your friendships? Take a page from the Founding Fathers.” She tells the story of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, two of the Founding Fathers who were once friends until politics got in the way. She writes, “To Adams, Jefferson was a godless revolutionary. To Jefferson, Adams was a mercurial tyrant.” In the election of 1800, Adams ran for re-election against Jefferson, his then Vice President. Things got very nasty, and “the divisiveness of the election left Jefferson and Adams bitter and estranged.”
Finally, in 1812 Adams extended an olive branch and noted to Jefferson that he was much happier having given up politics and retreating from public life. She notes that “over the next 14 years, the two Founders corresponded in more than 150 letters. They discussed their familial rather than their political legacies . . .” In their renewed friendship, they discussed intellectual topics but avoided current events and politics. They basically chose their friendship over politics. They died within hours of each other on July 4th, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
In this holiday season, remembering the importance of our families and friendships and the story of Adams and Jefferson may help us to preserve some relationships that might otherwise be tossed away in the heat of political differences.
Take care and stay safe.
VIDEO:
Man on the Inside (Netflix)
Charles (Ted Danson), a retired man, gets a new lease on life when he answers an ad from a private investigator and becomes a mole in a secret investigation in a nursing home.
Learn more about Bob Len here.
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