Where Do We Go From Here?

In the wake of the 2024 election in the United States, what is one step we can take toward a more inclusive, cohesive, and compassionate society?

That’s the question we put to a range of scholars, writers, and thinkers whose perspectives we deeply respect here at the UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center—and here are their answers. As you’ll see, most of them emphasize striving to be our best selves even in the face of division and adversity, and trying as much as possible to take the long view. Tomorrow, a different set of contributors will be tackling a second question: What is giving you hope right now for the future of our society in the aftermath of the election? While not all of their ideas will resonate with you, our own hope is this dialogue will help all of us find a way forward.

Eboo Patel: Keep doing what matters to you and the world

I’ve been hearing dozens, maybe hundreds, of people tell me what a catastrophe it will be if this candidate wins or that candidate wins the presidency—“a death spiral of democracy” is the phrase I frequently hear.

At first, I felt like my role was to convince people that there was not going to be a catastrophe—that there was not going to be a death spiral of democracy—and I’d try to share some sociological wisdom. I’d tell them about the strength of our institutions, the long history of our nation, and so on.

But then I stopped and realized that what matters now is not sociological wisdom but spiritual wisdom.

I remembered the story of Saint Francis of Assisi, who was tending his garden one day when someone walked by and asked, “What would you do if you knew the world was going to end before sunset?” He replied, “I’d continue tending my garden.” There is a similar hadith of the Prophet Muhammad: Even if you know the world is going to end, plant the seedling in your hand. I imagine that the deep spiritual wisdom of these two stories is also found in Judaism and Hinduism and Buddhism and other faith traditions.

What these stories boil down to is this: What you are doing is sacred, and it makes a difference. Even if the world is going to end, the wisdom of the sages says to keep doing your meaningful work because in that work is part of the saving grace of humanity.

I believe that whichever candidate has won, we’re not looking at the death spiral of democracy, in part because so many people in America will keep doing meaningful things that add up to a strong democracy. They’ll keep showing up at the food bank. They’ll keep coaching Little League. They’ll keep mentoring kids. In each of those small acts, I think, is the work of democracy. That’s the work of civilization. That’s the work of grace.

Something you are doing is meaningful. It may seem very small, but don’t let that dissuade you from recognizing how meaningful it is. I believe that is the message Saint Francis and the prophet Muhammad have for all of us.

In the weeks and months after the election, there will be time for strategizing and sociologizing. But I think in the immediate aftermath, I would recommend that your first reflection be a spiritual reflection: What am I doing that is meaningful to me and to others—no matter how small or mundane—that I want to continue doing?

Eboo Patel, Ph.D., is the founder and president of Interfaith America and an author, speaker, and civic leader who believes that religious diversity is an essential and inspiring dimension of American democracy. 

Scott Shigeoka: Practice curiosity as an act of love

Fear and hate come up for many of us in the wake of an election cycle. Not only do these negative emotions threaten our well-being and relationships, they can sometimes put us down the path of othering or dehumanizing people—even our loved ones—because they voted in a different way than we did.

This doesn’t just happen on social media or at political rallies; it can hit a lot closer to home, too. At a family dinner last week, a friend told me, her siblings yelled expletives and hateful slurs at each other because of their differing views on politics. They are no longer talking to one another, even though they’ve shared decades of deep love.

We must practice curiosity if we want to transform our fear and hate. Thankfully, this is a trait that we are all born with—the desire to understand others more deeply. When we are curious, we are more engaged and flexible when considering others’ diverse perspectives, and we’re better able to see people as unique humans, which makes us feel less threatened by our differences. It’s no wonder curiosity plays a critical role in promoting our well-being.

Curiosity doesn’t mean agreeing with views that clash with your own, but it does mean challenging the assumptions you have about people who hold those views. What that looks like in practice is coming from a place of genuine questioning devoid of judgment, and asking for firsthand experiences: What personal stories in your life contributed to the formation of your views? You can also interrupt your prejudice by, believe it or not, imagining whether another person prefers broccoli or carrots. This helps you see that person as an individual, appreciating that they have unique tastes and preferences, rather than seeing them strictly in terms of their group identities.

While we can simultaneously be curious and hold someone accountable for their wrongdoings, we should never strip away their dignity in the process.

This all explains why, after years of exploration and digging into the research, the best idea I have seen about how we can love better is for us to practice curiosity. Whether it’s our family, friends, colleagues, or even a stranger we disagree with, practicing this vital skill transforms our fear and hate into something much more productive. It invites us to turn toward someone and say: I want to understand you more. Tell me about yourself. I’m genuinely curious about you not because I want to change you, but because I want to see you in your full humanity, to care about you, to love you.

Scott Shigeoka is the author of Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World and the Bridging Differences fellow for the Greater Good Science Center.

Jeremy Adam Smith: Work to promote your values in community

After almost two decades of following and reporting on the science of a meaningful life, I don’t believe that building a more inclusive, cohesive, and compassionate society is primarily a personal or interpersonal task.

Which is not to say that individual-level change is a waste of time—it is absolutely worthwhile. Cultivating traits and behaviors like empathy, trust, humility, and gratitude are the work of our lifetime, and that work matters to ourselves and the people around us. But based on a combination of research and life experience, I don’t believe that personal change translates into the kind of social change America needs.

For many of us, it will be tempting right now to turn inward in a self-centered way, indulge continuous distraction, or in our grief embrace a very dark vision of humanity. That is exactly what we must not do.

And so the first step, I think, toward building “a more inclusive, cohesive, and compassionate society” is to remind ourselves of our core values and re-commit to them, preferably in a community context—and then support each other in upholding those values, and then work together to spread them and translate them into public policy.

That’s going to take a long, long time, and there will be many defeats along the way, as there always have been. When Trump was elected in 2016, I wrote a letter to my then-12-year-old son. These words were true for me back then—and they’re still true for me now:

I hope that you will try to be part of the good, always, as much as possible. Learn to talk with people, to ask questions, to listen, to build bridges between different kinds of people and help them to work together. This is something you can do no matter what jobs you take. You can speak up against fear and hatred, and try to build bridges with people, wherever you are, in whatever work you decide to do. This is about who you are and who you want to be.

This is work that involves a lot of failure. Believe me, son: There are times when you will fail, when you’ll be defeated. I have failed, I have been defeated.

Last night, we were defeated. So what are we going to do with that? We’ll do what we have to do: try to learn from our mistakes and try again. And we’ll keep trying to cultivate curiosity, love, kindness, gratitude, and forgiveness, when everyone else seems filled with hatred and fear.

I love you, and we’re going to be fine. Let’s talk about what you and me can do together to make this world a better place.

Love,
Dad

Jeremy Adam Smith is the editor of Greater Good magazine.

Mylien Duong: Get to know other humans

For almost four years now, my daily work at the Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) has been devoted to helping people complicate their image of “the other.” And as part of that work, I’ve engaged across political divides myself. I’ve talked with people who disagree with me about the role of race in America; the purpose of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; legal rights and restrictions for trans youth; and the morality of early-term abortion. I’ve had these conversations with complete strangers from the opposing political party. 

Gradually, over the course of these conversations, something began to shift for me. The sense of “the other” dissipated and was replaced by real people with real lives: Stephanie, a single mom of three from Pennsylvania. Vince, a retired corporate lawyer with great restaurant recommendations. Daniella, with the goofy golden retriever. For the first time in my life, I understood why “the other side” thought and voted the way they did. I learned that, no, these individuals were not driven by hate or misinformation. I found that, for the most part, people wanted what was best for their families.

These realizations aside, I still think our democracy needs reform. Campaigns rely too much on outrage, parties are too often at gridlock, and there’s not enough progress on agenda items that the majority of Americans do agree on. On this point, I’ve found agreement across the political spectrum. This election season, I’m part of a group of 20 or so Americans organized by Bridging the Gap founder Simon Greer. We are liberal, conservative, and everywhere in between. We meet every week on Zoom to discuss the election and the contentious issues on the ballot. We have some vehement disagreements. The one thing we all agree on? We’re tired of demonization, and we think the national discourse is too often dominated by extreme views.

By nature, elections are divisive. Some Americans will feel exuberant or relieved; others will be angry and dejected. Rather than relying on the media narrative of what the “other party” is really like, perhaps ask yourself: How many Republicans and Democrats do you really know? And if it turns out, as it did for me, that you have almost no meaningful contact with people of the opposing party, there are incredible organizations that can help you to bridge that gap.

Political reforms are critical, but we also need to build an electorate that sees the problem in the system, not in their fellow citizens. 

Mylien Duong, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and senior director of research and innovation at the Constructive Dialogue Institute, a nonprofit devoted to equipping the next generation of Americans with the mindsets and skillsets to bridge divides. 

Linda R. Tropp: Be a good neighbor, even (and especially) to those who are different

The 2024 U.S. presidential election has been one of the most contentious and consequential elections of our lifetimes. So, if you’ve felt anxious and stressed about the election, like me and many other Americans, know you are not alone: More than two-thirds of Americans report that the 2024 presidential election has been a significant source of stress, with more than 7 in 10 expressing concerns about the future of our nation.

With so much emphasis on the high stakes of this election, it can be all too easy for us to forget, or inadvertently abdicate, our own roles and obligations to each other as neighbors and fellow citizens. Here, I don’t mean the responsibilities we have to others in a legal sense, or to the formal institutions that keep our country running. Rather, I mean for us to reflect on who we want to be, and how we want to be, as we live and engage with others in our local communities.

Perhaps I’m simply invoking my Midwestern roots here, but I believe most Americans not only want to have good neighbors, but to be good neighbors. As our society has grown more divided and diverse, we are increasingly called upon to engage with people who differ from us in some ways. Bridging differences, then, involves the daily practice of being neighborly, regardless of who those neighbors happen to be.

Unfortunately, though, when we consider bridging differences, we can often get trapped by fear and threat in relation to people whom we see as different from us—in terms of their racial or ethnic backgrounds, the languages they speak, the religions they practice, or the nations from which they come. In turn, when we feel fearful and threatened, we lean toward avoidance, and we may even act in less welcoming ways toward those whom we see as different.

For me, a big question is: Is this how we want to live? As an alternative, we can be inspired by the writings of Brené Brown and consider what “we” could be if our best selves showed up. And I would add: How can we create communities where we enact our best selves? 

In practice, this will likely mean acting in neighborly ways to create more neighborly communities, even (and especially) when our neighbors appear to be different from us in some ways. We can learn to override our initial instincts toward avoidance to cultivate new habits. We can choose to become the vessels of goodwill we would like to see and experience in our communities through making friendly eye contact, smiling and saying hello as we walk down the sidewalk, or striking up a conversation with someone different. We can get involved by working together with others to address local challenges and achieve shared goals, to make our communities better places to live for everyone.

James Clear describes creating new habits in the following way: Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. May we apply this insight toward cultivating habits that help us to become the neighbors we wish to be, and to create the communities in which we wish to live.

Linda R. Tropp, Ph.D., is professor of social psychology and faculty associate in public policy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, as well as coauthor of When Groups Meet: The Dynamics of Intergroup Contact and Cultivating Contact: A Guide to Building Bridges and Meaningful Connections Between Groups.

Manu Meel: Choose nuance, not outrage

Here are four concrete steps that we can take toward a better and more pluralistic society in the wake of the election.

One, accept the outcome no matter who wins.

Second, and more importantly, we can’t treat our colleagues or neighbors, especially those we disagree with, as our enemy. We live in a very polarized time, where we conflate disagreement with a fundamental difference in values. But, in fact, if we reach out to the people we most disagree with, we’ll find that their lived experiences, their compassion, and their general understanding can help us craft a common ground to understand each other. This is the most important thing after the election: to reach out to the people we disagree with and establish a level of understanding, not with the purpose of compromise or agreement, but for the purpose of understanding why.

If we do this, we can take a huge step toward stitching our civic fabric together, which actually absorbs people who have different ideas and values. If we really want to make the most of our diversity, we have to meet people who are different from us. Not with rage, but with nuance and understanding; that’s the only way we go forward.

Third, we need to engage with information that is based on sourced materials. We forget that when we are engaged in dialogue and discussion, we are often referencing the opinions of political pundits when we should be referencing our understanding of the facts and who we are as people.

Finally, we live in the outrage industrial complex, where outrage sells and nuance doesn’t. We love to interact and share outrageous takes, instead of nuanced takes. So on social media, especially in the immediate aftermath of the election, we should be very focused on rewarding productive, nuanced disagreement, productive conflict, and productive conversation. The algorithms are going to boost what we interact with, but we control what we interact with, and we have the power to dominate the conversation with nuance and understanding.

Manu Meel is co-founder and CEO of BridgeUSA.

Carol Graham: Become a nation of debaters

The first and essential step we can take now is to come together more as a society to speak with each other and not at each other, trying to listen and understand the other side. We need to think about peacefully constructing new ways of organizing and discussing, and part of it has to start in youth.

We no longer have debating teams in high schools. But a good debater is an example of a good citizen. You do not win a debate if you don’t know what the other side is saying. You need to listen to them and have an explanation for why you think they’re right or wrong.

At a certain level, we have to become a nation of debaters who listen to each other. If you want to make a case for a certain strategy or policy or social change, you need to take the points and the opinions and where people are coming from on the other side into account.

In this endeavor, an active role for civil society is important. By civil society, I mean private citizens, NGOs, community organizations, and other organizations that bring people together for discussions, social interactions, and even peaceful protests.

People tend to be much less divided at the local and community level than they are in big national political debates. In these arenas, people often accept that they share more than they disagree on. We can start in places where we are less divided and show that we can work across the aisle and achieve some consensus and forward progress.

President Trump is going to have to contend with the other half of the country. You can’t govern and leave half the country behind; it just doesn’t work. The only way we’re going to make progress is to accept that a victory does not mean, well, this half won and that half lost.

It’s challenging, and there’s no magic bullet. We wouldn’t have had an election like this if we were united and in good shape as a country. Accepting that it won’t be easy—and it will require some humility on both sides—is probably a start.

Carol Graham, Ph.D., is a senior fellow in economics at Brookings, College Park Professor at University of Maryland, and a Gallup senior scientist.

Kurt Gray: Tell your story

In our divided society, we’re often tempted to win people over with facts and statistics that support our side. But this rarely works to persuade others or bridge divides. With statistics supporting every position, we’ve grown skeptical, dismissing them as “fake facts” or “fake news.”
 
That’s why, to better bridge divides, we need to share personal stories instead of facts. 

There is something uniquely powerful about storytelling. Our minds evolved telling stories around the campfire; we read fiction to immerse ourselves in the stories of others—they have a truth beyond a mere statistic. So sharing with people the personal experiences that explain your political convictions—especially your stories of suffering—goes a long way toward helping people understand where you’re coming from.

People dismissively shake their heads when someone on the other side recites the statistics behind their position on guns or abortion. But they nod along when that person explains how a loved one was hurt in a mass shooting or suffered from an abortion or an unwanted pregnancy.

As a moral psychologist, I’ve seen how stories can create understanding in my research. In every study we’ve run, people get more respect from others when they share experiences of harm, rather than trying to convince with facts—in part because they help people seem more rational. We all understand the reasonableness of trying to protect oneself from harm. Even if you believe that handguns are generally dangerous, you can appreciate the gun-rights position of someone who has used a gun in self-defense.

Stories are the most powerful when they revolve around suffering, because pain, worry, and fear are experiences all humans have in common. These stories of vulnerability help bridge the gap between minds: We might recognize—in the abstract—that other people can feel like we do, but hearing their concrete experiences of harm allows our imaginations to resonate with their inner life.

Telling your story—and listening to the stories of other people—can be hard advice to follow because our society is so politically segregated. So where can we start? First, before you venture out into a new place, be prepared: Know that just deploying facts isn’t going to change anyone’s mind or help you connect with people who don’t share your background or perspective—you are just going to be wasting your time. On social media, you can stop sharing facts and statistics to try to convince other people—that is not productive. Instead, you can share your story and firsthand experiences. And in any circumstance, remember that your goal shouldn’t be to win an argument—because no one ever really “wins.” Instead, you should strive to build understanding and share more of yourself.

Kurt Gray, Ph.D., is professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina and author of Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground.

Kayla DeMonte: Invite people in

While we don’t know how the next four years will ultimately unfold, we know one thing for sure: For many of us, the last several months have sharpened a feeling of being disrespected and misunderstood by half of our fellow Americans.

Regardless of how you feel about the outcome of the presidential election, the fact is that our democracy depends on an electorate who trusts each other to act in service of the common good. And even for those who believe we need to entirely rebuild our current systems, whatever comes next will involve all of us—those you feel aligned with and those you don’t.

Several civic thinkers have recently reflected that, for many people, a sense of social connection is ultimately more of a motivator than political ideology. That while, of course, we remain guided by our beliefs and values, one of the deepest human needs is to be part of a group—to not feel on the outs of our community. I heard it summed up best on Mónica Guzmán’s podcast, A Braver Way: “The fear of social death can feel greater than that of physical death.”

We are tribal not because it is our nature to hate one another, but because it is our nature to seek love from one another. Our progress as a country is dependent on us finding ways to tap into this need in a way that helps us move forward. We cannot “policy” our way out of this problem. It is a culture problem. And that gives me hope. Because it’s not up to a single candidate to solve it. We can do it. And we must do it.

Here’s one place to start: Find a way to help people feel valued, invited, and respected in civic life. If you are in a role where you steward or influence others in some way, fantastic. You have power to make this happen. And even if you are not, you can take on this role. Anyone can do this. Whatever the next civic event or gathering or opportunity is that you plan to attend—whether it’s a town hall put on by your city councilmember, a workshop at the library, or a volunteer clean-up at your neighborhood park—INVITE others to join you. People you don’t normally engage with in these settings. Ask for their opinions. Show them that their participation is valuable and important. Reflect together. Repeat.

A culture where more of us feel welcomed and appreciated as members of civic life is not the answer to all of our problems, but it will be the foundation for solving them.

Kayla DeMonte is the chief program officer at Citizen University, a national organization working to build a culture of powerful, responsible citizenship across the U.S.