Left: A Ukraine flag drew criticism from a man who questioned marchers about their messages at a May 1 political rally.
Right: PBS screen shot of Wilk Wilkerson, left, and Dr. Francis Collins being interviewed by Judy Woodruff, “Ex-NIH director and truck driver explore how to bridge divisions deepened by the pandemic.”
Until its “Reduce the Rancor” bus tour across greater Minnesota last week, and attending one of its events, I was not familiar with Braver Angels. Founded in 2016, Braver Angels is “a national, nonpartisan nonprofit with a particularly strong base in Minnesota dedicated to reducing unhealthy polarization without either side compromising its values.”
Its message rekindled in my thoughts several days later when a young man approached people marching in a May Day rally. Many carried homemade signs: “Fire the Felon,” “Impeach Donald Again,” “Truth Wins,” “Protect Social Security,” “Grow a Spine Congress,” “Defend Democracy,” “Stop Imperialist Dictators,” “Hands Off Our Democracy,” “Care for Children and Public Education.”
“What did he do wrong?” the man asked. Appearing blue-collar and in his thirties, he sounded sincere. He looked mystified, chagrined. His question registered surprise among the several rally people who heard him. A ‘where do you begin?’ response seemed to leave some speechless. Others mentioned the crimes and assault on government, saying that he should be impeached. The man just shook his head and walked away, adding that he didn’t like the Ukraine flag one of the marchers carried. “All they want to do is fight,” he muttered. Not sure where he gets his news, but I have a good guess.
If Melina Voss of Braver Angels-Minnesota had been there, even though blue on the political spectrum, she might have listened to the young man, perhaps even invited him to the nearby coffee shop. She might buy him coffee and listen to what he had to say. She probably would identify some issues or areas on which they could agree, all the while not ceding any of their own values and beliefs.
Voss calls the partisan trend over the past 40 years “a national security problem.” China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea want to see the U.S. divided. “Humans are not designed to listen to the other side,” Voss said, referring to human biology and the amygdala, a part of the brain that controls emotions of fear and aggression.
Basic human values
A great paradox of humanity is that we all have the same basic human needs and values, yet we devolve into individualism and tribes to compete for the greatest share of means to meet those needs. Where there is agreement, it would seem that most points would appear in the values column, and not beliefs.
In truth, by working together we make a larger pie, providing more for everyone even if not equally divided. It’s not a zero-sum game. As the late Sen. Paul Wellstone said, “We all do better when we all do better.”
Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal, almost all people harbor similar values. I shared this thought some years ago with a local public official at the county fair. As we were chatting, another acquaintance arrived and began to fume about Nancy Pelosi. When the local government guy suggested to him that I may not be of the same political persuasion as they both were, the other guy glared at me and stomped off.
As he left, we both looked bemused. I remarked that I also harbor what may be considered conservative values: Financial diligence, personal responsibility, positive traditions, personal behavior-morals, Christian faith, peace, rule of law, family and community values. We seemed to share a common understanding about all that.
‘No fault’ misfortune, health and poverty
Most people value the role of government and social institutions in helping people in need. Most people in need did not fall into poverty because of personal misdeeds. I describe such circumstances as ‘no fault misfortune’. Illness may be a bit different. Poor health may result from an unhealthy lifestyle. But many times, it’s plain bad luck.
To understand poverty better I recommend reading The Other America, by Michael Harrington. Published in 1968, it portrays poverty as a culture created by our economic system, and not primarily due to personal fault. And does anyone today remember when President Johnson in 1964 declared a ‘War on Poverty’? Many battles have been won since then, but the war continues now more than ever.
A fresh perspective on that may be found in the 2025 book, Abundance, by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. Suggested reading by Voss of Braver Angels, it’s “a once-in-a-generation, paradigm-shifting call to renew a politics of plenty,” according to one reviewer. In a New York Times review Samuel Moyn writes, “a guide for liberals shaken by an age of factional polarization, the United States can still blaze the path to progress, but only if progressives get out of the habit of putting obstacles in their own way.” The book is on my reading list.
The Road to Wisdom
Another related book, I recommend reading The Road to Wisdom – On Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust, by Dr. Francis Collins published last year. Collins, you will recall, was the head of head of the National Institutes of Health during the Covid-19 battle. (See my Nov. 14, 2024, Substack post, “Darkness at noon on the road to wisdom.”)
Collins writes, “This is a book about the sources of wisdom, something that I fear too many of us have lost sight of. I was inspired to write it after spending many years in the public eye and seeing just how badly divisiveness and politics have warped our thinking – including our ability to discern truth, our understanding of science, and our anchor to the fundamentals of faith represented in our churches. This is my attempt to ‘unwarp’ us, and to help recover what matters most.”
During the Braver Angels open house that I attended, a young man arrived whose appearance resembled the challenger at the May Day rally. Wearing a beard and professing similar political beliefs, Wilk Wilkinson was welcomed as a celebrity. I almost fell off my chair when he said that he was a good friend of Dr. Francis Collins.
Wilkinson, who identifies as a conservative Christian, along with work and family keeps busy hosting the podcast, “DerateTheHate,” and involvement with Braver Angels. Wilkinson said they met when Collins reached out to Braver Angels seeking to understand the negative reaction to Covid-19 actions.
Several weeks ago, Wilkinson sat with Collins in his home in Chevy Chase, MD, near Washington, D.C. for an interview with Judy Woodruff and aired March 26 on PBS, entitled, “Ex-NIH director and truck driver explore how to bridge divisions deepened by the pandemic.”
“Francis Collins has been demonized in the conservative media,” Wilkinson said. “I disagreed with him, but now we are dear friends. I got to know him as a person. All humans have the same basic needs but have different ways to get there.”
“And we the people like Wilk and me getting to the point of really spending time understanding each other’s perspective, not that we completely agree on everything,” Collins said. “I think he’s wrong about stuff. And I’m sure he thinks I am.”
Getting there won’t be easy. It will take a lot more face-to-face communication with the ‘other side’, and a lot less attention given to misinformation and outright lies from social media and some cable network pundits and ‘news’ outlets. For tips on how to do that, check out the Braver Angels Minnesota website.
See the Collins-Wilkinson interview with Judy Woodruff of PBS.
Read more about the Braver Angels Greater Minnesota bus tour on MinnPost.
