Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Finding meaning in a tragedy that defies understanding

Finding meaning in a tragedy that defies understanding

A barn burning during a wildfire.

Getty Images//Photographer: David Odisho/Bloomberg

The devastation caused by the recent fires in Los Angeles has been heartbreaking. The loss of life and property, and the grief that so many are experiencing, remind us of the vulnerability of everything in life.

Nothing is permanent. There are no guarantees for tomorrow. We are all so fragile and that fragility so often leads to breaking. And it hurts.


If there's a bright spot, it's this: the devastation has unleashed enormous generosity and solidarity of people in Los Angeles and around the country toward those who are most wounded by the devastation.

First responders are risking their lives, friends are taking each other into their homes, volunteers are bringing food and clothing to those most affected, and people from around the country and around the world are giving. Pain experienced by so many is being met by love given in equal measure.

My brother told me he'd heard from dozens of friends from long ago who he'd thought had forgotten about him. As devastating as it is to watch the destruction, the silver lining is to watch human beings respond with so much compassion.

As hard as it is to make sense of all this, we're blessed by a voice of help coming to us at exactly the right moment. Just this week, our nation's Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, published his final prescription for healing our country, and it couldn't be more timely. "Choose community," Dr. Murthy writes, because "relationships, service and purpose create an ecosystem of meaning and belonging that are essential for fulfillment."

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

In short, the Surgeon General is telling us that if we want to be healthy and heal, we need to strengthen the work of building community, and we have to root that work in the transformative power of love and connection. It's as though Dr. Murthy wrote this letter for all of us right now.

Like many of you, I’ve been looking for ways to help, to offer support, and to find meaning in a tragedy that defies understanding.

For those of you wanting to help those impacted by the fires, my sister Maria and her team have compiled this list of vetted organizations that need support.

For me, this tragedy hits close to home. Several of my own family members have been directly affected—my brother, my sister, my daughter, my nieces and nephews, and several cousins have all been forced from their homes, uncertain about what lies ahead. I know I’m not alone in this, as so many of you are also grappling with the enormity of what has happened.

In this spirit of community, I know you all join me in working on how we can foster hope and healing—not only for those on the front lines but for all of us as we navigate this crisis and all the stress of these times. We can all do our part: make the extra call; let others know you care; offer whatever gifts you have; and give whatever you can. Nothing is too small and everything counts.

Above all, commit to strengthening the bonds that bind us together as family, as people of faith, as country. If ever the message was clear, it's clear now: community isn't just a vague idea or a long-term goal: it's survival.

In the spirit of community and love,

Tim

Tim Shriver is the chairman of Special Olympics, founder and CEO of UNITE, and co-creator of the Dignity Index. Visit dignity.us to join Tim’s newsletter mailing.

Read More

A Super Bowl of Unity

A crowd in a football stadium.

Getty Images, Adamkaz

A Super Bowl of Unity

Philadelphia is known as the City of Brotherly Love, and perhaps it is fitting that the Philadelphia Eagles won Sunday night's Super Bowl 59, given the number of messages of unity, resilience, and coming together that aired throughout the evening.

The unity messaging started early as the pre-game kicked off with movie star Brad Pitt narrating a moving ad that champions residence and togetherness in honor of those who suffered from the Los Angeles fires and Hurricane Helen:

Keep ReadingShow less
Can a touchdown create community?
Free Images : nfl, national, football, league, logo, icon, sport ...

Can a touchdown create community?

Every year, on Super Bowl Sunday, Americans come together.

For one day, under the banner of a football game, the divisions that so often define our daily lives fade into the background. Our polling shows that three-quarters of liberals and conservatives alike plan to watch this year’s pro football championship game.

Keep ReadingShow less
Reducing Political Divides Must – and Can – Occur at Massive Scale

American flag, megaphone

Photo by Mikhail Nilov/pexels.com

Reducing Political Divides Must – and Can – Occur at Massive Scale

Efforts to bring the country back together must collectively achieve massive scale, impacting at least 85 million Americans (and probably more). It may seem daunting, but the right efforts can plausibly achieve this goal.

These efforts include what is sometimes called “depolarization” or “bridge-building,” though initiatives must go well beyond today’s overwhelmingly conversation-based methods to achieve this scale. Structural reforms are another key element.

Keep ReadingShow less
Democracy in Action: January Retrospective
January calendar

Democracy in Action: January Retrospective

Welcome to the first edition of Democracy In Action, insights and discussion about some of the most talked-about topics of the previous month with Fulcrum collaborators.

Consistent with the Fulcrum's mission, this program strives to share many perspectives to widen our readers' viewpoints.

Keep ReadingShow less