Schlossberg - Revitalizing Retirement

I've supposedly been retired for over 10 years now. Yet, I've not been able to actually say that I am retired nor have I been able to stop learning, writing, working, and creating. The only difference between my life before 2014 and now is that I used to get paid for my contributions. Now I either volunteer, am invited, or fall into opportunities on a regular basis and, thus, I call myself "semi-retired." Fortunately, Nancy Schlossberg's Revitalizing Retirement: Reshaping Your Identity, Relationships, and Purpose  (2009) gave me a fuller understanding that the way I've chosen to spend these years isn't that strange - it's one of several paths that people can choose after their full-time working careers.

For a starter, retirement is best framed as a series of phases or stages rather than a destination. Schlossberg cites Gene Cohen who defined them as:

1. Midlife reevaluation, which is a better way to describe this "time for exploration and transition" than the term midlife crisis;
2. Liberation, a "time to experiment";
3. Summing up, a period to review one's life, followed by giving back through such activities as volunteering; and
4. Encore, which he described as "the desire to go on, even in the face of adversity or loss." (Locator 203)
   

Schlossberg reviews these phases through a lens that she used throughout her career as a researcher and author - mattering. Mattering, the belief or feeling that we are noticed or count, is a human need that is present throughout the life span. How one finds ways to enhance mattering is unique to the individual even though there are predictable life thresholds that can put that sense of mattering at risk. The specific qualities that support a sense of mattering include attention, importance, appreciation, and dependence. Particularly during one's post-working years, the recipe for how these ingredients can be enhanced include 1) "getting involved and staying involved, b) harnessing the power of invitation, c) taking initiative, and d) doing your best to make others feel that they matter" (Locator 514).

Six pathways that retirees may choose are 1) continuers, 2) easy gliders, 3) adventurers, 4) searchers, 5) involved spectators, and 6) retreaters. Schlossberg provides definitions and examples of each of these and is careful not to show preference or judgment about whatever path one might choose. Retirees may adopt one of these six depending on everything from health to wealth, to opportunity. The point is that retirees have choices and whatever the path one chooses, some way of maintaining a sense that you matter and make a continuing contribution is a must.

Revitalizing Retirement is a great resource for individuals to read or Schlossberg even suggests the possibility of a study group whose members might go through the book, reading and discussing as they go, and responding to the check up that concludes each chapter. Particularly during the preparatory time for retirement, it's important not to move too quickly and without a period of testing and evaluation. To age gracefully and embrace whatever model one chooses requires "time: time to mourn for what you left, time to figure out what's next, and time to feel comfortable with a new life" (Locator 2052).

Grant - Think Again

Adam Grant's Think Again (2021) asserts the central thesis that sometimes our first response or intuition is incorrect. Further, because errors are more common on first-blush, leaders and constituents need to adopt strategies that can help to critically examine and thereby come to better plans to respond.

The common approaches to arguing issues on which we disagree are the preacher, prosecutor, politician, or the scientist. The preacher mode is invoked when sacred beliefs are in jeopardy. The prosecutor mode is activated when we recognize flaws in others' reasoning. The politician mode is used when we seek to win over the opposition. Grant's proposition is that we would make better decisions if we abandoned the first three strategies and, instead, cultivate a more scientific approach motivated by the search for truth and utilizing experiments to test hypotheses and discover new knowledge. "Scientific thinking favors humility over pride, doubt over certainty, curiosity over closure" (Locator 437). The antidote to arrogance, which Grant characterizes as "ignorance plus conviction" (Locator 653) is humility, a word derived from the Latin root meaning, "from the earth," or being grounded.

A very interesting assertion in relation to the current political strategy of the Trump administration is that "skilled negotiators rarely went on offense or defense. Instead, they expressed curiosity with questions like 'So you don't see any merit in this proposal at all?" (Locator 1462) Perhaps negotiations in Washington and around the world would be different if this approach were embraced.

How to apply scientific thinking is then examined in the broader sections of Grant's book, labeled individual rethinking, interpersonal rethinking, and collective rethinking. Spoiler alert - the best thinking and highlights of Think Again are summarized in the Epilogue of "Actions for impact" and in Grant's own book summary.

The following quote directly addresses the dilemma faced in leadership:

It's easy to see the appeal of a confident leader who offers a clear vision, a strong plan, and a definitive forecast for the future. But in times of crisis as well as times of prosperity, what we need more is a leader who accepts uncertainty, acknowledges mistakes, learns from others, and rethinks plans (Locator 3428).

The advice on how to cultivate this kind of leadership from Grant's "Action for Impact" include:

Individual rethinking:

1. Think like a scientist
2. Define your identity in terms of values, not opinions
3. Seek out information that goes against your views
4. Beware of getting stranded on the summit of Mount Stupid
5. Harness the benefits of doubt
6. Embrace the joy of being wrong
7. Learn something new from each person you meet
8. Build a challenge network, not just a support network
9. Don't shy away from constructive conflict

Interpersonal rethinking:

1. Ask better questions
2. Practice the art of persuasive listening
3. Question how rather than why
4. Ask "What evidence would change your mind?"
5. Ask how people originally formed an opinion
6. Acknowledge common ground
7. Remember that less is often more
8. Reinforce freedom of choice
9. Have a conversation about the conversation

Collective rethinking:

1. Have more nuanced conversations
2. Don't shy away from caveats and contingencies
3. Expand your emotional range
4. Have a weekly myth-busting discussion at dinner
5. Invite kids to do multiple drafts and seek feedback from others
6. Stop asking kids what they want to be when they grow up
7. Abandon best practices
8. Establish psychological safety
9. Keep a rethinking scorecard
10. Throw out the ten-year plan
11. Rethink your actions, not just your surroundings
12. Schedule a life checkup
13. Make time to THINK AGAIN

At the core of these recommendations are intellectual humility, curiosity, and the eagerness to explore perspectives that contrast with our own. My experience has taught me that there are those who are interested in this level of honesty and inquiry and others who are not. The key is determining who welcomes your curiosity and the "clearest sign of intellectual chemistry isn't agreeing with someone. It's enjoying your disagreement with them" (Locator 1133).

Klein & Thompson - Abundance

I naturally gravitated to Klein and Thompson's Abundance (2025), largely because my sense of optimism is always stimulated by a title that appears to provide hope. In simple terms, this book helped make sense of the current dysfunctional state of U.S. government and it proposed a way out.

I've never thought of it before but essentially "Politics is a way of organizing conflict" (p. 203). The authors explain that the U.S. has had deep and conflicting views before and that the ebb and flow of conservativism and liberalism is to be expected because neither political perspective ever gets things completely right. Owning their affinity to the progressive or liberal side, Klein and Thompson laud the New Deal of the 1930s and the neoliberal order of the 1970s as the most significant in recent history where progressivism had a transcendent moment in serving the largest number of citizens. In both of these cases the previous political order broke down (the Great Depression giving rise to the New Deal and the civil rights movement defining a new "we" through progressivism) and made it possible to adopt a dramatically different political ethos.

Klein and Thompson propose that governance in the U.S. is on the crest of a failing political order that will make space for something new. Philosophically, the U.S. is suffering from an ideological conspiracy that is dependent on viewing itself in decline. This decline is embraced in different ways by both liberals and conservatives. "Too often, the right sees only the imagined glories of the past, and the left sees only the injustices of the present" (p. 15). What is critical about an emerging new order is that the previous ideological conspiracy has to be rewritten with "a (new) narrative, a story... about the good life" (p. 206). The current politics of scarcity motivates right-wing populists whose preference is to close doors while glorifying business and oligarchy as essential handmaidens of managed scarcity. The current culture and economic wars unfortunately do not have the patience and reason to build toward a shared positive future, thus MAGA ideology relies on the dark side of competition rather than the possibility of cooperation and mutual benefit.

Scarcity-driven instincts are derived at least partially from the failures of liberalism, coalescing scientific and cultural skeptics who view dismantling the deep state and limiting the reach of government as their primary calling. And the liberal view perpetuates its ineptitude by creating obstructionists processes and advocating over-regulation that slows, if not undermines, progress for the very projects and visions that would allow progressivism to create a better society. And, the legalism that dominates much of U.S. decision making breeds mistrust of government, resulting in safeguards to disable misuse of power. Tragically, the "safeguards" get in the way of constructive influence as well. As an example, Klein and Thompson describe NSF and NIH funding as most often going to researchers pursuing proofs that are almost certain, avoiding the tougher questions of scientific discovery, binding and constricting the entire process with excessive paperwork and reporting. They propose, instead, funding researchers to pursue grand questions and then rewarding those able to find a solution.

In order to shift from the current scarcity warfare to a new lens based on abundance, Klein and Thompson propose new questions (p. 215), rather than policy solutions, to draw citizens and politicians together:

1. What is scarce that should be abundant?
2. What is difficult to build that should be easy?
3. What inventions do we need that we do not yet have?

These big questions relieve both conservative and liberals of the pathology of defending their ideas based on ideology and quibbling over rules and control. Instead, a politics of abundance would begin to deliver real innovation and solutions for real world problems that most citizens and even politicians secretly recognize.This abundance would unleash the creativity and genius required for the U.S. to regain its national character and return to a place of opportunity for anyone with a great idea and the gumption to pursue it.

Gladwell - Revenge of the Tipping Point

Malcolm Gladwell set out to reprieve the first of his several books when a "refresh" clearly became a much bigger task and possibility. The result is Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering (2024), written 25 years after the original Tipping Point. The first Tipping Point explored how the Law of the Few, the Power of Context, and the Stickiness Factor created social contagion. The new tipping point looks at social epidemics and the role of people who know where, when, and how to exert power to create the change they want. While I am most interested in how positive trends can be fostered, understanding how some of the negative trends of the past and present were possible is also important.

The first assertion of the revenge of the tipping point is that social epidemics are fired by a sometimes very small number of people who have very significant power and influence. Analyses of the COVID-19 pandemic focused on "index" cases, which are the people who got the virus started. Of course, there were multiple theories as COVID began to spread - where did it come from and by what means did it spread? Gladwell's analyses indicated that, regardless if you believe the virus came from a lab in China or elsewhere, it clearly spread from aspiration. The degree to which one individual infects others is based on how much their breath spreads the tiny particles that carry the virus. High saturation of the virus is prevalent in thick saliva, which is common among those who are dehydrated. Where is dehydration most common - among those who are overweight and older. These individuals were found to be the most likely superspreaders of the COVID-19 pandemic and they had the worst consequences when they got it. Social epidemics do not require dense aspiration particles but rely on superspreaders with oversized impact on public perception and opinion.

Gladwell's second assertion is derived from research conducted by Rosabeth Moss Kanter on workplace "belonging." She found that boundary breakers by race, sex, and other differences aren't given space to be themselves until there is a critical mass of their same identity. The changeover from hostile to welcoming environment occurs when the "magic third" is achieved, which is also a point at which the majority begins to notice their presence. The "revenge of the turning point" is that moment when the possibility or actuality of who is present is recognized.

Noticing the possibility of African Americans moving into the neighborhood during mid-20th century was what drove suburban "white flight." The emergence of the magic third threshold can be the result of accident or intention and realtors sought to make sure neither was possible. Recognizing the possibility that African Americans were coming to the suburbs, realtors and loan officers conspired through red-lining to protect white households from shifting proportions on their blocks. Prevention of white flight through red-lining was a form of social engineering to avoid a potential tipping point. The Harvard affirmative action case challenged its social engineering of enrollment. The case revealed that sports-inclined privileged white students, as well as alumni legacies, were favored over Asian students who would otherwise have out-qualified them. If the enrollment tipped, Asian students might have achieved the magic third feared by administrators.

The third assertion of Revenge of the Tipping Point is about the stories we hear and tell. Gladwell refers to Zeitgeist, a perception of current circumstances that can be rewritten or reimagined, in ways that change the way people behave. The first example Gladwell used to demonstrate this point is the introduction in the 1950s of the term Holocaust as the term for Nazi genocide and the second is the role the TV hit "Will and Grace" played in normalizing gay relationships. In both of these examples, the public consciousness and beliefs changed as a result of restorying. The public tipped with "The Holocaust" becoming the common term and laws recognizing gay marriage embraced.

As Gladwell says, "Overstories matter. You can create them. They can spread. They are powerful. And they can endure for decades" (p. 282). An integrative and sad example Gladwell used to combine the importance of superspreaders, group proportions, and overstories was the OxyContin epidemic. What was initially perceived to be an almost magical remedy to pain turned into over prescriptions by complicit physicians, perverse marketing strategies recommended by McKinsey consulting, and a strategy to restory OxyContin's risks. Gladwell said, "The opioid crisis unfolded in three acts" (p. 294) - the manufacturer avoided states that had tracking mechanisms, a diabolic scheme for marketing focused on physicians who were prone to abuse, and the public stumbled ahead in its pursuit of pain relief that ended in addiction for many.

Superspreaders, proportionality, and restorying can be employed for both negative and positive purposes. Knowing the potential power of the three ideas can help to protect against abuses as well as provide useful concepts for those striving to exercise leadership to bring about positive change.

Activism and leadership

Activism is rising and how to get involved is an individual choice, particularly since there are so many ways to express your views and stand up for what you believe in. I joined 100+ residents of the Chicago North Shore who were part of the U.S. Tesla Takedown demonstrations that took place across the country at Tesla dealerships. I learned about the protests through Indivisible Chicago, one of many local groups organizing protests, boycotts, and other initiatives to push back on Trump's chaos. So there is no question, violence and property destruction were not advocated to the slightest degree and I would not have considered participation if any was implied.

I wanted to do something but didn't know where to start and how to get connected. What I learned was that it was easy, networks exist for those who are concerned about where the U.S. is headed, and it feels great to find other people who are concerned as well. Flatly stated - it restored hope that the Trump Project 2025 implementation is not unstoppable. Trump will become unstoppable only if citizens don't step up.

What did it feel like to go to a random spot where I might not know anyone else or not know how to plug in? I arrived a few minutes early and saw individuals and small groups milling around the Tesla dealership, sizing things up for what was to come. The police showed up a few minutes before the start time and simply sat in their cars, awaiting what would come. People then started converging from everywhere, some carrying signs, others just showing up. We assembled on the public property in front of the dealership and the police came around to tell us where we needed to stay to not violation private property rights of the Tesla dealership. Protestors with signs lined up on both sides of the roadway, striking a chord with a cheer every few minutes. I started asking questions of people around me and got into numerous informative conversations as I became more comfortable sharing my concerns. Although I was there to protest an unelected billionaire's takeover of the U.S. government, I am deeply concerned about attacks on higher education and I am concerned about the peoples of Ukraine and Gaza having a chance to live as I do - secure safe, and prosperous.

I met a number of really fun and interesting people, two of them I knew from previous events. We introduced each other to continue expanding our networks and we talked about the things that concern us most. The encouragement of passersby who honked their horns in approval bolstered the positive feeling of being there for everyone. When I left, I made sure to thank the policeman as I walked by - expressing appreciation for their protection of our civil rights. There is no doubt that I will continue to watch for opportunities to speak up and I hope many more will join in the days to come.

Perez - Dear White Leader

A great new friend and colleague, Luis, recommended I read Dr. Joel Perez' Dear White Leader: How to Achieve Organizational Excellence through Cultural Humility (2024). I was immediately attracted to Perez' book when he recounted being drawn into consulting from experiences he had as an undergraduate student leader.

Dear White Leader... is very straight-forward, including examples, stories, and "taking action" recommendations at the end of each chapter. The primary assertions of the book are that two attitudes are essential for exceptional leadership to unfold - humility and curiosity.

Perez clearly defines his terms and elements related to them throughout the book. He starts by identifying three components of humility: 1) a commitment to self-awareness and self-critique; 2) redressing power imbalances; and 3) changing the systems of organizations and communities to be more inclusive. These three are then incorporated into the internal, external, and systemic work required for exceptional leadership (Figure 1, p. 15). One of the keys to cultural humility is suspending judgement or checking oneself from jumping to conclusions about others. Cultural humility includes affirming one's one values and beliefs while at the same time remaining open to those of others, thus not suggesting that either change the core of who they are. This attitude is essentially curiosity - openness to explore without judgement.

Cultural competence is defined as "the acquisition and maintenance of culture-specific skills" (p. 38) which is acquired through the four attributes of self-awareness, attitude, knowledge, and cross-cultural skills. Humility in these four attributes is reflected in adopting a growth mindset, curiosity, and listening deeply. And this kind of cultural competence, especially for cultures that are new or very different from one's own, is significantly improved by finding a cultural coach or mentor to help navigate the differences we encounter.

Beginning with the attributes of self-awareness and self-critique, Perez explained different types of bias that can get in the way of cultural understanding. They included unconscious or implicit bias, confirmation bias, and affinity bias, which progressively diminish in the developmental sequence of denial, polarization, minimization, acceptance, and adaptation. Privilege, or lack thereof, can impact an individuals' journey toward cultural understanding because those with privilege are often unaware of, or do not recognize, the power they hold versus those who have little power and are all too painfully aware of how they are discredited and disregarded. Perez recommends that becoming comfortable with uncertainty of cultural difference involves cultivating the eight practices of noticing, breathing, moving, sleeping, laughing, wondering, experimenting, and loving.

Ultimately, diverse cultural environments require the awareness of, and willingness to address, power imbalances among the individuals and within the groups where exceptional leadership is desired. Power differences are reflected in who is heard, valued, and matters and the question is if equality or equity is the objective."Equality is when a person or group of people are provided with the same resources or opportunities that everyone has. Equity is recognition that each person has different circumstances and is given specific resources and opportunities to get to an equal outcome" (p. 92).

Perez identified four dimensions of diversity that foster organizational inclusion and belonging. They are "organizational vitality and viability, recruitment and engagement, training and development, and organization climate and intergroup relations" (p. 105). To improve these conditions, exceptional leaders will be most effective when they concentrate on the middle 2/3rds of their members who comprise the middle to late adopters. The early adopters are already on board and the laggards will seldom, if ever, join in. Those in the middle can be encouraged to come along by applying what all musicians in an ensemble inherently understand - outstanding performance comes from working with and nurturing each other and striving to be better TOGETHER.

Soltes & Stern - Welcoming the Stranger: Abrahamic Hospitality and Its Contemporary Implications

Ori Soltes and Rachel Stern convened a conference of colleagues at Fordham University, which then became the basis for the 2024 edited collection of essays in Welcoming the Stranger: Abrahamic Hospitality and Its Contemporary Implications. The book is divided into two broad sections, one dedicated to exploring the faith traditions and references in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Indian/Dharmic traditions. The second section describes present and future prospective initiatives to respond to the call to welcome strangers wherever they might be or however they come to us.

The Foreword defines the stranger as anyone who comes from another place, is of another religion, or part of another race or culture. With this definition, immigrants across geographic borders are certainly included but the need for welcome next door and in our communities is important as well. Since 67% of the world's population identifies with one of the Abrahamic traditions, the influence of the books on which these faith groups are based are of paramount importance.

Judaism's commitment to welcoming the stranger is anchored in remembering the Torah or Old Testament story of the Hebrew people who were exiled in Egypt. The welcome in Egypt came with many burdens, including servitude and deference to their hosts, but at least there was a place where the Hebrew people could survive. Abraham's repeated welcome of others provides compelling evidence of treating others with compassion without regard to their culture or beliefs. Nachmanides (1194-1270), a Jewish medieval scholar, included not only a physical welcome but ridding the stranger of fear and intimidation in the 1263 Barcelona Disputation. In this view the stranger was seen as one who is powerless, vulnerable, and lonely. This physical and emotional comforting guided practices of hospitality among Jews and others but was eventually challenged for the first time in the 1935 Nuremberg Laws, a time when Jews were persecuted and marginalized for their religion and culture. The Holocaust and the loss of millions of lives was the outcome.

Christian commitment to welcoming the stranger derives not only from examples of the Hebrew people and Israel in the Old Testament Bible but also from the story of Jesus himself. In the retelling of His birth, He and parents Mary and Joseph were refugees in need of a place to stay as they fled persecution and death. This view, and the witness of Jesus' ministry is foundational to the "universal obligation of benevolence and compassion towards all, including strangers and even enemies" (p. 27). Christian theologians take hospitality to another level in combining the idea of charity towards others with a call to justice for all. This dual approach augments the band-aids of charity and advocates for expedited action that transcends political posturing and abstraction - people are suffering and Christians are called to respond with immediate assistance and systemic change that remedies suffering at its roots. As an example, the author referenced the 2002 and 2003 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' "Stranger No Longer..." pastoral letter that advocated addressing root causes, legal avenues, legalization of the undocumented, rational employment-based migration, humane border enforcement, protecting human rights, reform of the visa system and the principle of family reunification (p. 39) - a combination of addressing immediate needs and systemic change.

A chapter following the initial explanation of Christianity's faith-filled view of immigration explained the opposing MAGA restrictionist view that immigration should be highly controlled and any violator of policy apprehended and punished. The restrictionist view relies on the Tower of Babel story in Genesis 11:1-9 that described the scattering of multiple independent nations, thus ensuring that humanity could never be united under "one government as a threat to Divine sovereignty" (p. 51). Restriction also relies on the state to protect citizens from the presumed criminality of 'illegal aliens' who "steal the resources of the citizens by both entry and by residing within the land" (p. 52). By contrast, the 'Migrant 4 Life' view of other Christians stresses "the importance of hospitality for the stranger over the sovereignty of the nation-state" (p. 59) and asserts that offering legalization to undocumented immigrants and their dependent children will benefit everyone - securing the national borders, resolving immigration and asylum applications, and allowing employability, which in many cases was the goal of immigration in the first place.

The chapter on Islam is quite superficial based on my experience of having lived in an Islamic country for seven years. It does not reference the 'Five Pillars' of Islam, the core commitments a Muslim makes. It does note the compulsory charity, Zakat, which is a requirement to donate to the needs of the poor. In addition, the idea of welcoming travelers with 'peace' and with the offer of shelter and nourishment is noted. The chapter mentions little in relation to the depth of Islamic culture that I experienced which offered hospitality, aid, gifts, and always in a spirit of not expecting anything in return.

The reference to Indian/Dharmic tradition is made as an "Epilogue," presumably because it is not within the Abrahamic tradition. Dharma is described as a way of life that determines one's state of existence in another life. The karma that is jokingly referenced as being what one deserves for past actions, is simply an action or deed that might elicit a compensatory response. The author suggests that "dharmic traditions will not only place little value on helping those within or beyond the community, they will discourage it" (p. 83). Hindu tradition has more of a tradition of welcoming and the author describes the Jewish community of Cochin where many lived in peace with other religions for generations. The state of Kerala is not mentioned in this chapter but is one of the two examples (the other being Al-Andalus in Spain) of which I am aware and have visited where multiple faith groups lived in respect and harmony, indeed in a condition of hospitality to one another.

The summaries of different faith perspectives led then to descriptions of welcoming strangers with compassion in several different settings and ways. The "Building the Present and Future" included the artist example of Fritz Ascher, business and entrepreneur cultivation in multiple countries, the importance of 'de-storying' and 're-storying' the legacy of immigrants, revision of court proceedings, and modern digital life as both response to as well as problems in welcoming the stranger in the current era.

Soernes & Yang - Welcoming the Stranger

There are two Welcoming the Stranger books, the first by Mathew Soerens and Jenny Yang published in 2009 and subsequently updated in 2018. The Soernes & Yang book lays out the political dichotomy from the beginning. The contrasting views are 1) that the U.S. is experiencing an invasion of illegal aliens who are violent and drain public and social resources or 2) that the millions of people around the globe are simply seeking a better life for themselves and their families. The two previous groups aside, the growing number of strangers in the U.S. are actually refugees who came with legal status and support from the government. With the mix of views and statuses that are now present, there are growing numbers of U.S. citizens who recognize the complexity of migration and want to be informed about the reality rather than manipulated by competing ideological assertions. Their book is designed to address this growing middle by informing readers of how immigration works and by proposing a Biblical perspective for how to improve it.

As the title suggests, welcoming includes how to live in relationship with immigrants, refugees, and others who have lacked opportunity and thereby suffered economic deprivation. Treating others humanely begins with language and not using demeaning and derogatory language such as "illegal alien." Those who lack documentation are not criminal but simply violated a civil law. Soerens & Yang help the reader by providing stories throughout their book - real people struggling with the challenges of life, 60% of whom have been in the U.S. for more than a decade and three-fourths with a recognized legal status. Almost all undocumented immigrants pay taxes from which they will likely never benefit. They pay approximately $7 billion in sales taxes and deposit $12 billion to the Social Security system each year.

Welcoming the Stranger reiterates the often-repeated story of success in the U.S. - a nation of immigrants, with one-third coming from the generation of ancestors who arrived through Ellis Island. Each immigrant group has been vilified as they found their way to the shores or borders of the U.S. and eventually acclimated to and found success in various industries from manufacturing to service to the arts. Even with this history, ambivalence is readily evident in immigration policy changes which were modified over time to reflect shifting needs for workforce prospects and the political ramifications over competition for everything from jobs to places to live. The journey of migrants has been one of "sheer resilience, courage, and fortitude" (p. 87) establishing most as successful members of society.

Turning to faith perspectives on immigration and citing Old Testament Biblical direction to Jews in Hebrew Scriptures, a "ger" is a non-native person in a local area who is to be treated hospitably. Jews were strangers in Egypt and the story of Jesus in the New Testament Bible is of parents and a baby seeking refuge under persecution. These texts assert that migration through history has been one of God's ways of drawing people together in their human striving. After summarizing the many benefits of welcoming migrants, debunking claims of criminality, and reflecting on the strong faith-base from which many immigrants come, Soerens & Yang turned to the question of how immigration policy should be modified. However, the most compelling message was that, regardless of how one views immigration law and its modification, "we must first approach immigrants themselves as neighbors - with love" (p. 130).

Trump's 2nd coming

An opinion piece in the January 29, 2025, Chicago Tribune authored by a new U.S. citizen referred to Trump's "2nd coming" as fear arose that his citizenship could be denied before he took his oath on January 21, 2025. Considering all that we know of Trump's staunch Christian evangelical base, perhaps the "2nd coming" fits. David Brooks' "How to Destroy What Makes America Great" in the New York Times recounts human history where empires achieved greatness by connecting across cultures. By contrast, the Trump strategy is to isolate and establish the U.S. as superior to other nations. While Trump called April 4 "Liberation Day, " Brooks asserts that it is more of a "Stagnation Day." The 2nd coming may be more about withdrawal and decline rather than a historic and revelatory new day.

The pace of the first days of Trump's 2nd term could be characterized as a bullet train compared to the train wreck of his 1st term. The pace, unpredictability, randomness, and chaos that Trump creates is intentional. He sees uncertainty and surprise as key to success in negotiation - keep your opponents "on their heels" and there's much greater chance of success. Trump denied knowledge of, and disavowed a commitment to, Project 2025 during his campaign. Whether that was a lie or ignorance, the executive orders parallel the numerous points made in the Project 2025 Education section. Watch the Heritage Foundation website to understand the victories being claimed by those who drafted the Project 2025 strategy. The April 8, 2025, Heritage Foundation conference celebrated the seizure of education and recognized College of the Ozarks, Grand Canyon University, Christendom College, and Wyoming Catholic College as excellent institutions that reflect the reforms the Heritage Project 2025 seeks to achieve. Even if only partially implemented, those elements that survive public scrutiny, reaction, and counter-moves will have a huge impact.

The interview of Parag Khanna by Anthony Scaramucci revealed the underlying rationale for the strong executive assertions that are clearly part of Trump's vision. Khanna noted that J.D. Vance and Elon Musk are adherents of Curtis Yorvan's view that democracy is obsolete and should be replaced by monarchy. The world periodic table of states on which Khanna is working will propose a different way of looking at governments. The periodic table adds state capacities like equality, climate resilience, food security, energy security, and AI readiness to the mix of variables that are presumed to be part of a "healthy state." Going beyond democracy to forms of government that are benevolent autocracies that are accountable to their citizens (technocracies in Khanna's terms) proposes different types of government that can serve their people. One of the essential questions is if such a benevolent monarchy, and in the U.S. case oligarchy, is accountable to its citizens. This is where the Trump strong executive model goes off the tracks as accountability systems have been dismantled and calls to account are brushed away.

Ian Bremmer's TED interview offers detailed analysis and insight of the present state in the waning days of winter 2025. Leaning into the stability and dominance of the U.S. in economic and military terms under the Biden administration, Trump announced stunning tariffs that shook the world economy. Seeking to make his mark, Trump has interjected drama on many fronts which is undoing the world order that the U.S. created over decades of diplomacy. The deliberate sabotage of Ukraine's Zelensky in the Oval Office on Friday, February 28, 2025, received praise from Republicans, condemnation from Democrats, and incredulity from international media. After viewing the videotape of the exchange, it's hard to not see that Vance and Trump orchestrated the confrontation to absolve Trump of any obligation to pursue diplomatic solutions to Russia's attack of Ukraine. Drawing Zelensky into the trap allowed Trump to characterize Zelensky as ungrateful and unwilling to pursue negotiation orchestrated by Trump. Literally thrown out of the White House after the exchange, Trump achieved the win/win for himself when Zelensky left with two options: 1) apologetically acquiesce to Trump's assertions (and an agreement to give away Ukraine's natural resources), or 2) reject the affront, allowing Trump to assert that Zelensky is uncooperative as Trump continues to pivot to advocacy for Russia. Will the U.S. survive this kind of self-interested upending of America's role in the world? Bremmer predicted a return to balance, different but at least not as chaotic, once citizens feel the real impact of Trump's policies.

Trump sees himself as a master at negotiation, embracing a distributive negotiation worldview where he competes in a win/lose competition for limited resources. With such a view, uncertainty and chaos may be successful on many immediate initiatives. However, the downside is that uncertainty undermines rather than builds trust. But trust never was part of the Trump strategy and this is evident in who supported both his 2016 and 2024 campaigns. The pollsters all misread what was happening - Trump had so effectively sown disbelief and distrust in media, government, education, and any sector that harbored "elites" that all were easy targets. Discrediting all those systems that more privileged citizens saw as serving and protecting them only reinforced the base of skeptics who love Trump. They say "he calls it as it really is" which "outs" a system that never worked for them as working class citizens with less educational opportunity and success. Governance by complaint, along with discrediting what previously served as separation of powers and church/state influence, has been significantly shaped by the rise of Christian nationalism and was driven by the the growing reliance on money, lies, and citing of God's provenance.

Researchers on trust in government in Canada reported early findings of their study at the International Leadership Association conference in November, 2024, in Chicago. The preliminary analyses indicates that we no longer live in a world where trust and distrust is a continuum with two alternatives. Trust in Canadian government has become a balance between justified and unjustified trust and mistrust. The result is four quadrants of justified trust, justified mistrust, unjustified trust, and unjustified mistrust. In an era of disinformation these four quadrants become very important and the Canadian researchers findings indicate that a significant portion of the citizenry in Canada moved into the unjustified mistrust quadrant, complicating any effort to gain trust of any type. As a U.S. citizen, I was provoked to wonder where the electorate has shifted and my guess is that those who refused to vote for Kamala Harris, even though she was much more qualified and credentialed, were substantially coming from an unjustified mistrust of current U.S. government. On the other hand, those who readily supported Donald Trump voted from an unjustified trust perspective - when the system has never worked for you, why wouldn't you vote for someone who calls out the failings of the current system and proclaims a new path forward?

Maya Angelou's quote "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time" transcends time and is particularly applicable to today. Trump denied knowledge of Project 2025, which had many elements related to education, and now they are coming to pass - reducing the scope of the Education Department, dismantling and punishing those committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), placing voting laws under federal control, and imposing policies and practices that threaten free expression under the guise of protecting Jewish students and scholars. When asked about the origin of sometimes baseless assertions, Trump cites "common sense" or that he's a very smart person. Albert Einstein's comment that "common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen" is perhaps applicable.

April 5, 2025, was the beginning of significant push-back with tens of thousands of people assembling across the U.S. in "Hands Off" rallies. All were peaceful and many had moments of joyfulness as chants echoed through urban canyons. Where "Hands Off" leads will be key to whether balance is restored in the branches of U.S. government. My deepest concern is identifying ways that will bring a return to reason and trust in leadership and the systems on which citizens depend.