In my first novel, one of the characters reprised a quote from a real Vietnamese judge I once knew. That quote highlighted just one theme in the novel, specifically, “live what you believe or live not at all.” That phrase, taken out of the context of my novel, can be misleading. Two of the main characters, an avuncular supreme court judge and his devoted niece, were on adverse sides of the Vietnam war. And the novel’s protagonist, an American soldier, was initially ambivalent about America’s involvement in the internecine conflict between the North and South Vietnam. Nevertheless, he proved to be both friend and protector to this Vietnamese judge and his niece, even risking his life to support both. And, as their story was unraveled in the novel, the other two did as much for him. The point: each of these characters were living what they believed. Though neither of them changed nor abandoned their diverse beliefs, they yet became close friends. Each of them was admirable for his/her honesty and courage but could not and would never subscribe to the beliefs of the others. Technically, they were enemies. Nevertheless, their interrelationship revealed their shared humanity. And that is a lesson we Americans dearly must learn if we are to save our democracy. 

That lesson also reveals how honesty differs from dishonesty—as highlighted in my previous blog. Both the former American President and the current Russian President rose to power based on lies. And they attempted to either regain or hold onto power, respectfully, by eliciting support from their followers with more lies. They solicited the allegiance of patriots, that is, citizens who love their country and its unique heritage. But these solicitations were and are dishonest, based less on love of country than their unquenchable lust for power and personal invulnerability to any moral code or just law. In truth, they serve only their own interests. They consider themselves above any law or moral stricture in pursuit of personal fame, power, and wealth. Their one strength is the ability to transform their personal self-interests into a wistful belief shared by their compatriots: “to make America great again;” or to reverse a past injustice and reclaim Russia’s empire and the dignity of its people. They are not only perfidious, but nefarious in their disregard for the personal belief systems of their compatriots. They disregard the interests and welfare of others. Why else do they seek to impugn the “fake press” in America or imprison journalists in Russia while suppressing free speech? They want their fellow citizens to believe them rather than what common sense reveals as true and observable. They are agnostic about everything except their self-interests. Further, they use any difference they can exploit or fear they claim only they can quelch either to gain followers or to foment discord among their enemies. They will actively—even demonstrably—discredit any viewpoint not in support of their own. They prefer that you believe what they tell you to believe, or “live not at all.” And, in truly fascist fashion, they will assure the latter by any means available to them. Either accept their self-interest or the consequence of their revenge. They have no personal integrity and punish those who disagree with them. 

Surely, living what you believe is integral to personal integrity. Since we humans can differ not only in perspective but also in judgment, we can anticipate disagreement on many things, including support for our leaders and conflicting governmental policies. In America, there is a well-known acronym often applied to elected legislators: “we can disagree without being disagreeable.” Why so? Well, no democracy can survive without mutual respect between differing points of view—providing there is mutual adherence to overriding principles. We Americans can swim in a current of disagreements over many policy positions, like gun laws, abortion, affirmative action, and so on. We can even disagree on election results. But those disagreements can and must be resolved within the boundaries of laws and policies that align with our Constitution. And, of course, disagreements must be attuned to recognizable facts that common sense must accept. Only a fool ignores reality. Moreover, though we are many individuals, we are still one people. And our diversity can only subsist in peace and harmony if it is moderated by the adherence of Americans and their governing institutions to the rule of law and its adherence to our Constitution. That document defines not only our democracy but the moral basis for the America polis—as Aristotle characterized any group of citizens in city, state, or republic—and thereby for every American. For therein is defined what is required of each American “to form a more perfect union” and assure not only our security as a nation, but the peace, security, and the blessings of liberty for each of us and our posterity. In a previous blog, I asked the question, “can individual differences be (both) addressed with mutual respect and reconciled by overriding principles?” Unless answered in the affirmative, democracy cannot survive in America. And the declarative statement that “all men (sic) are created equal” must subsists not only at birth before race, class, or inheritance are determinative but must also outlast the vagaries of subsequent variances in title, wealth, or class. In other words, Jefferson’s declaration demands that we engage each other with mutual respect while maintaining our personal integrity as a birthright we all share as human beings. Our Constitution not only defined the structure of our government but the moral fabric of our nation—if only we endeavor to incorporate its values into our lives and thereby realize its promise.  

How often have we heard our current President say, “there is nothing we Americans cannot do if we stay united and do it together.” Well, he is only rephrasing the words in our Constitution: “We the people in order to form a more perfect union . . .” But that union is impossible unless each of us demonstrates mutual respect as integral to our personal integrity.