Trying to Remember The Golden Rule

This has been a brutal period in America. Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Utah. Students were shot at Evergreen High in Denver. Parishioners killed in a Minnesota church. The Speaker of the Minnesota House and her husband were executed in their own home. Historically Black colleges and universities were locked down in fear. And right here in my hometown of Atlanta, the Centers for Disease Control became a crime scene.

One short timeframe. One country. So much grief to hold.

Two Truths I Refuse to Ignore

I did not agree with Charlie Kirk’s rhetoric. His words about women, Black people, and my LGBTQ+ community were harmful, divisive, and at times cruel. I won’t rewrite history to pretend otherwise.

And yet, he was a father, a husband, and a citizen who deserved to speak without fear of a bullet. His family deserves our compassion, not our contempt. Violence is not justice. It is tragedy.

These two truths are uncomfortable. But democracy dies when we stop holding both.

What Worries Me Most

Not just the killings, but what comes after:

• The speed with which blame replaces facts.

• Leaders using bloodshed as a political cudgel instead of a call for healing.

• Communities rehearsing lockdowns as though they were fire drills.

• A generation learning that disagreement is dangerous, that politics is war, that “winning” means someone else must lose everything.

If we continue down this road, we will not only lose lives. We will lose the very possibility of civil society.

A Call Back to Civility and Discussion

I do not believe Radical Kindness is the only antidote to this spiral, but it is what I am holding on to right now.

Let me be clear: kindness is not weakness. It’s discipline. It’s restraint. It’s choosing humanity when anger would be easier.

We need to get back to something ancient and simple: the Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It’s not partisan. It’s not complicated. It’s the bedrock of every lasting community, from playgrounds to parliaments.

Imagine if our leaders — in politics, media, and business — spoke first with empathy, not insult. Imagine if we treated every loss, no matter the ideology of the victim, as equally worthy of mourning. Imagine if our debates were fierce but not fatal.

Ask for an Answer

So here is what I ask of those in power:

• Will you commit to telling the truth, even when it costs you politically?

• Will you put people before party when violence strikes?

• Will you model civility, not just demand it from others?

And here is what I ask of myself, and of all of us:

• Pause before posting.

• Lead with humanity.

• Argue fiercely, but without stripping others of their dignity.

Because if we can’t return to civility, then all the policy debates in the world won’t matter.

Sadly, I found this quote from Dan Savage about the AID Crisis and it fits for this moment as well:

Where I Stand

I am sad. I am scared. But I am not resigned.

We can honor Charlie Kirk’s family without honoring his words. We can grieve the Speaker and her husband, the students in Denver, the parishioners in Minnesota, the employees in Atlanta, the HBCU students who deserve safety.

We can choose civility over contempt, the Golden Rule over the rule of the mob, Radical Kindness over radicalization.

Violence is never the answer. Civility still can be.

In Hope and Peace,

Jim