A Nation Divided, A People in Pain
I love the American people, but some have issues that run deep. I recently talked with one person about the topic of discussing race with children, which has come up with my son’s school. When I shared a 1-page handout guiding parents about the importance of discussion, with scientific milestones for the birth-7-year age range, I saw this adult’s defenses shoot up. They couldn’t even read the words on the page. They felt attacked—dismissing the facts and turning away from what should have been a conversation, an opportunity to grow. It breaks my heart to see how disconnected we’ve become, even within our own families. And I’m not alone in this. This kind of division is happening everywhere.
We can’t even talk to our families or friends about politics or religion anymore without getting into a fight or walking away in frustration. These are supposed to be the conversations that matter most—issues about how we live, what we believe, and what kind of future we want to build together. But now, they feel impossible. You need the patience of a monk, or an hour of yoga just to even try to navigate these minefields. So, we make rules at our gatherings: no politics, no religion. And the sad part is, that's what we’ve hired our Congress to do—to talk, to debate, to work out these disagreements on our behalf. But instead of representing us, they reflect our own failure to communicate.
Congress is impotent, and it has been for decades. But can we blame them? Our unwillingness to talk to each other, to challenge each other without it turning into a battle, is mirrored in the dysfunction of Washington. And it’s tearing us apart. What are we afraid of? Why do we feel so attacked when someone holds a different opinion?
Why We Feel Attacked
We’ve lost our ability to challenge each other in healthy ways. We've become so stuck in our views that anything that contradicts our beliefs feels like a personal attack. But it shouldn’t. We should be challenging each other to grow. We should invite those conversations, seek them out, not run from them. But, I understand, it’s not easy. It’s hard to be challenged, especially by those closest to us—family, friends, coworkers. The people we love can push our buttons like no one else.
And it’s worse when there’s a power dynamic involved—parents and children, teachers and students, bosses and employees. But we cannot take it as an attack when someone questions us. We need to see it as an opportunity to learn, to see another perspective. At the same time, we need to recognize when the other person is feeling attacked. That’s when it’s time to back off, find common ground, and reflect on their feelings, not just our own.
I’ve become a huge proponent of Nonviolent Communication, a philosophy that helps people connect more deeply and express their needs without blame. I violently dislike the title (!), and I know it sounds idealistic—almost unrealistic in our current climate—but we need to start somewhere. The title might sound misleading, but it’s really about finding ways to communicate that bring us together, rather than tear us apart.
From Disagreement to Threat
How did we get here, where simple disagreements now feel like threats to our identity? It’s because we’ve allowed politics to become tribal. We’ve made our political affiliations an extension of our very selves, rather than what they should be: temporary alliances, formed to accomplish specific goals, then dissolved when the work is done.
We act like political parties are permanent fixtures in our lives, like our party is our family or tribe. But that’s not what democracy was meant to be. Political parties should be short-lived, focused on a few key pieces of legislation, and then disbanded. They should serve the people, not the other way around. Instead, they’ve become like family feuds, where attacking my political view feels like attacking me personally. This is why we’ve gone from simple disagreement to feeling threatened. And it’s dangerous.
This tribalism isn’t just unhealthy—it’s un-American. The parties have existed for centuries, but their grip on us has intensified. We need to break free of this identity politics that has poisoned our democracy.
Living in Fear of Each Other
Every four years, it gets worse. Every presidential election, we feel that surge of fear—fear of what the other side will do if they win. Independents like myself feel this the most, because we know, resigned and apathetic, that by the time the primaries are over, we’ll be left with two awful choices. We call it the “lesser of two evils,” but what kind of democracy gives us only evil to choose from?
The truth is, most Americans don’t want to live this way, constantly in fear of each other. So why do we keep accepting it? Why do we continue to play this game, where the stakes feel like life or death every time? It’s time to change the system. It’s time to move past this broken cycle.
Breaking the Cycle of Political Dread
The only way to break this cycle is by fundamentally changing how we select our leaders. I’ve talked about this before—see our essay here—a lottery system for selecting presidential candidates and ranked choice voting. Imagine this: every four years, we celebrate July 4th, and two days later, we hold a lottery to select 100 Americans from across the country. Some might drop out, but we narrow it down, and in the end, we have a pool of real people—not career politicians, but everyday citizens who care about this country.
With ranked choice voting, we don’t have to fear the “lesser of two evils” anymore. We can vote for who we truly believe in, without worrying that our vote will be wasted. This system would inspire all of us to lead better lives, knowing that any one of us could be called to serve. It would bring hope and excitement back to our democracy.
The Future Beyond Fear
What does this future look like? It looks like a country where elections aren’t something to dread. It looks like people coming together, excited about the process, knowing that whoever ends up in office, they will serve with humility and integrity. It’s a future where we trust the system because the system reflects us—all of us. No more billionaires buying elections, no more dynasties holding power. Just Americans, selected by their peers, to lead for a time, and then to step aside.
This vision would transform the way we live. We’d see more responsibility in our leaders and in ourselves. And it wouldn’t just be a lottery to choose a president—it would be a lottery to choose a better life for each of us, where we all feel the weight of our choices and our responsibilities.
A Personal Journey of Sacrifice
I’ve lived this. I’ve left behind comfort and security because I felt called to serve, first in the military and later, by challenging myself to pursue the study of life and biology. I could have stayed in defense contracting, making good money, living comfortably. But I knew that wasn’t the path for me. I knew I had to follow a higher calling, even when it was difficult, even when it meant giving up security.
That’s the kind of leadership America needs right now. Leaders who are willing to make sacrifices, not for themselves, but for the country. Leaders who are willing to listen, to grow, to admit when they’re wrong, and to keep pushing forward. That’s why I’m running. Not because I’m perfect, but because I know the value of humility and hard work. I believe I can bring together the left, the right, and the independents to start the healing process.
The Real Enemy
The real enemy isn’t each other. It’s the system that’s been created by the two major parties, a system designed to keep us divided. The Republican and Democratic parties profit from our division. They claim they want to unite us, but only under their own banner. They don’t want to work together—they just want power.
It’s time to end this endless party. Like any party that goes on too long, it’s gotten out of control. It’s time to turn off the music, pack up, clean up the mess, and start fresh. It’s time for an independent candidate to step forward and break the cycle.
2024: The Time Is Now
If we can’t elect an independent president in 2024, when can we? The time is now. America is at a breaking point, and we need real leadership—leadership that’s not beholden to party politics or corporate donors. We need someone willing to make tough decisions, to challenge the status quo, and to lead with humility and courage. I’m not the perfect candidate, but I believe I’m the best chance we have right now.
Together, we can return to the principles of the Constitution, not by dividing ourselves into smaller and smaller factions, but by coming together to form a more perfect union. We can begin healing our people, healing our politics, and healing our planet. But we have to start now. Please join us.