Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Civic engagement should not be performed 'All By Myself'

Eric Carmen at the piano

The late Eric Carmen's hit "All By Myself" can inspire us to engage in deeper forms of activism.

Tom Hill/WireImage/Getty Images

Daley-Harris is the author of “Reclaiming Our Democracy: Every Citizen’s Guide to Transformational Advocacy” and the founder of RESULTS and Civic Courage. This is part of a series focused on better understanding transformational advocacy: citizens awakening to their power.

With the death of singer-songwriter Eric Carmen last month and Earth Day coming up, I got to thinking about Carmen’s song “All By Myself” and how deeper forms of activism are both essential to making change and a powerful antidote to our growing epidemic of loneliness.



In a New York Times essay last year, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said that loneliness not only leads to poorer health but is also “associated with reduced productivity in the workplace, worse performance in school, and diminished civic engagement.”

Diminished civic engagement was the focus of a 2022 National Public Radio interview with “Bowling Alone” author Robert Putnam titled, “Politics and America’s Loneliness Epidemic.” Putnam discussed “bonding social capital” which links you to people who are like you and “bridging social capital” which links you to people unlike you. Putnam warned: “Bridging social capital ... is way down. And that is encouraging polarization.”

That’s where people like Bill Barron come in. Barron – lives in Utah and organizes climate talks in places like Wyoming, an oil and gas state – seeks out conversations with people who are not like him.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

Barron had never been engaged in politics, but an invitation from Citizens’ Climate Lobby to meet with his members of Congress in Washington, D.C, flipped a switch. “I was shaking like a leaf,” Barron said after his first-ever meeting in Sen. Orin Hatch’s office (R). “But walking out of that meeting I realized that this is exactly what we need to be doing, letting our leaders know what we want them to do.”

After starting several chapters in Utah, he was asked to manage a group of states where there wasn’t much climate activism yet, so he spent some of his time organizing in Wyoming.

“Gillette, Wyoming, is big coal country,” Barron told me, “and our local organizer was active in Democratic politics. I stressed that we needed to invite everyone, and she told me that the last time they had an event and invited Republicans they had to call the police, and I thought ‘Oh, my God.’ We had about 25 people, including people who totally disagreed and spoke up during the presentation, but I said, ‘Can we agree that there is change happening, but we may disagree on how it’s happening?’

“One woman, who had a 39-year career as a coal miner, commented, ‘We know we need to do something about climate, and putting a price on pollution makes sense.’ Another person, a climate denier, came to several of my gatherings. Seemingly surprised by the polite, nonpartisan discussions, he listened rather than being confrontational, although he still offered the ‘denial’ brochures he’d brought with him.”

Barron was acting on several key aspects of transformational advocacy. One is practicing partnership, not partisanship. Another is bringing new people in and forming them into chapters, or as Eric Carmen would say, “Don’t wanna be all by myself anymore.” Signing online petitions won’t cure our epidemic of loneliness, but the people who said yes to Barron’s invitations are demonstrating an important step: citizens awakening to their power.

If not now, when?

Read More

Sacred Succession: The Pope's Final Gift to Democracy
a person standing on a sidewalk with a hat on
Photo by Chris Weiher on Unsplash

Sacred Succession: The Pope's Final Gift to Democracy

When the bells of St. Peter's Basilica tolled on Easter Monday, announcing Pope Francis's death at 88, they rang for the world's 1.3 billion Catholics and all of humanity. During the moment of transition for the Catholic Church, we witnessed the conclave, a ritual of power transfer that predates modern democracy yet might offer surprising lessons for our contemporary political moment.

The death of a pope represents more than a religious milestone. It is a moment that transcends theological boundaries, offering insights into how institutions navigate succession, how power transfers in an age of global uncertainty, and how ancient traditions might illuminate modern challenges.

Keep ReadingShow less
The American Pope

The newly elected Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV is seen for the first time from the Vatican balcony on May 8, 2025 in Vatican City, Vatican.

(Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

The American Pope

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost made history on Thursday by being elected as the pope, marking the first time an American has been chosen for this role within the Roman Catholic Church. At 69 years old, he has taken on the papal name Leo XIV.

Originally from Chicago, Prevost has dedicated much of his ministry to Peru. His election occurred on the second day of the cardinals' conclave in Vatican City, after four ballots were cast.

Keep ReadingShow less
President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Macomb Community College on April 29, 2025 at Warren, Michigan.

President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Macomb Community College on April 29, 2025 at Warren, Michigan.

Getty Images, Scott Olson

​​The American Schism in 2025: Understanding the Other Side

In distilling lessons from my research onAmerican Schism, I often refer to a secret sauce or magic formula that U.S. citizens deployed at times during our history to productively bridge major societal divisions. To be clear, in these periods, the rifts endured but relying on the formula’s specific ingredients led us to better outcomes as compared to other eras when this formula was abandoned. In the former moments, we often forged new policy solutions — in the latter, we often experienced violent episodes.

One of the three key elements of this magic formula is what I label deep empathetic listening (stay tuned to this series for future discussion of the other two elements). Sounding simple but too often forsaken today, this form of listening is not easy work. It is analogous to a routine practice from high school debate club: first, through research and critical thinking, one constructs a rational argument for a particular point of view supported by data and carefully vetted sources. Then, perhaps a week later, one is assigned the same but from the opposing point of view. It is perhaps not surprising that our civic discourse has collapsed today — with current communication methods and platforms such as social media, critically researched data is sparse while sanctimonious outrage is omnipresent.

Keep ReadingShow less