Stand.

We are the turning point.

We tried settling for hope,

We waited for others to right this ship.

When that didn’t happen,

We felt betrayed.

We let go of hope and learned to become optimists.

We no longer accept empty words and promises,

That cannot be kept.

There is no more waiting,

This void that has grown because we watched,

And took our fears out on each other is a paralysis not of our soul,

But of our self-worth.

Make no mistake,

The soul doesn't negotiate.

Now, we must do this for ourselves and our loved ones.

We will look up and remember the words, the values, and the aspirations,

That has always lived above our politics.

Will you look with us? Will you allow in the urgency?

These are the values that have made the lives within our country worth living,

Decency, truthfulness, respect, kindness, inclusion, love, courage, resourcefulness, abundance, helpfulness, justice, learning, growing, giving, service, freedom, progress, and empathy.

We do not stand for any particular party!

Instead of hurling more insults, we give others support.

Instead of buying all the toilet paper on aisle three,

We give the homeless women at the curb a fresh $20.

We talk to her.

This is the most important war in our history.

This time, the war is within. 

Oh, how we forget that the most important conversation we will ever have is the one, 

We have within ourselves.

When we want to improve the quality of our lives,

We must improve the quality of that conversation.

We throw open the windows, we let in the light, and what an embarrassment we find behind those words.

If we want better lives, if we want greater peace, if this the turning point, then it is time to examine the words we tell ourselves over and over again, especially when we are afraid.

We ask,

“Is this true?”

"Why do I keep telling this story?”

“What must I change about myself to become part of a spiritually full and level playing field?”

We will not survive without empathy. We will not move forward by elevating ourselves while members of our community slip down a rabbit hole.

In fact, empathy has become even more important to give towards the people we have disagreed with the most.

How can they find their way if we are smugly blocking the light?

Every single day, parents across this country prepare their beautiful children for school.

It is a sacred work raising loving, respectful, and kind adults.

But, every single day, a large group of these parents live with the fear their beautiful children will not come home because of how so many others see them.

Social media has given all of us transparency.

But, they let us in without providing a course in good manners.

50% of all working Americans were underemployed before the pandemic.

Consider the amount of turmoil that takes place when half of America's workers do not understand how to step into the future.

There are millions of people who will read this message.

Who is going to help them?

So many times in the last few weeks, we have witnessed the results of hardening our hearts and looking the other way.

For years, I have facilitated and orchestrated breathtakingly good professional lives.

At this very moment, I am watching a family across the street. The mother and father are pushing shopping carts. In the mother's cart are two children. Behind her, the father pushes a cart filled with whatever belongings they could take with them.

We live and work in one of the most high-profile commercial sites in Santa Monica.

Oh, we will argue about money, the economy, the challenges of change, and the need to protect ourselves in a world where there isn't enough for everyone.

This isn’t an economic issue. It is incorrect thinking.

Have we actually bought into the idea that we are helpless?

Do you want a better leader?

Then get out and lead.

If we want to hear more optimism and praise,

Be the first to smile and tell others why they are so valuable.

Because this time, it is different and we have no wriggle room at all.

The notion that we are responsible isn’t a notion. 

It is a deep and non-negotiable truth.

The wait is over.

Stand.

David Harder is the President and Founder of Inspired Work and workskunk.

To learn more or to attend one of his programs, take a good look here.