Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

In this world of froth and bubble

Wizard of Oz

As the Cowardly Lion found in the “Wizard of Oz,” simply wanting to have courage is courageous. Courage begets courage.

Lockard is an Iowa resident who regularly contributes to regional newspapers and periodicals. She is working on the second of a four-book fictional series based on Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice."

In this world of froth and bubble,
Two things stand as stone.
Kindness in another’s trouble,
Courage in our own

This verse by Adam Lindsay Gordon emphasizes the enduring value of kindness and the importance in having courage as we confront the world.


There is certainly plenty to make us worry, and most of us do. Careening modern problems barrage us every day: Artificial intelligence threatening our jobs and our very humanity, climate change wreaking havoc on our planet, terrible wars abroad, dissension at home, increased political polarization. Our consistent ingestion of news reinforcing our own viewpoint does not help, and all amidst the “froth and bubble” of social media and breaking news. Too much is, by definition, too much.

But we do not have to eat what is served, and are wise not to. Instead, there is a timeless recipe, a not-so-secret sauce to make the world around us and within us more palatable. It changes adversity to challenge, obstacles to opportunities. Its ingredients, only two, are kindness and courage.

Much has been written about kindness in the past years; still, it is an elusive practice. In a country where a majority of us enjoy the blessings' of the modern age, families are broken, neighbors and friends with divergent viewpoints dismissed, walls instead of bridges built. Kindness changes that: The very act of being kind begets kindness, understanding, reconciliation. Kindness is essentially an expression of joy in living well with others.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

Can we not empathize with both the policeman and the young man (excluding of course, brutal criminal acts)? Cannot we sympathize with both the desperate immigrant and the citizen who feels his city is being invaded? Answers do not have to be either/or. The crux of any problem requires first understanding and then the solution: conscientious leadership, which calls for both kindness and courage.

With courage we can embrace challenges, and can throw back even harder what life throws at us. It takes courage to nourish hope in a world seemingly hellbent on destroying itself, pecking away at our very souls. But, as the Cowardly Lion found in the “Wizard of Oz,” simply wanting to have courage is courageous. Courage, too, begets courage.

True courage is like a kite; a contrary wind raises it higher. (J. Petit-Senn)

There are, of course, issues which cannot be compromised and people to whom kindness is seen as weakness and courage to stand against tyranny is necessary. In our past and now, courageous people voluntarily carried out controversial and dangerous acts, fought to uphold justice, stood up to unfair and discriminatory practices. Often, and too often well beyond the time they lived, we recognized their courage. We called them heroes.

Kindness and courage are essential traits in a hero. One enhances the other. Writing of a character who suffered many trials in “Persuasion,” Jane Austen called this “combo platter” the “choicest gift of Heaven.” Why? Because one’s outlook changes everything.

…but here was something more; here was that elasticity of mind, that disposition to be comforted, that power of turning readily from evil to good, and of finding employment which carried her out of herself, which was from nature alone. It was the choicest gift of Heaven.

Indeed, it was. We can all possess this “choicest gift” through the transformative potential of kindness and courage. Such “superpowers” convert a bowl of gray mush to a smorgasbord, plain water to sparkling wine. They cost nothing, but are more precious than gold, or, in our modern age, maybe lithium.

“We may scatter the seeds of courage and kindness around us at so little expense.” (Bentham)

Because, ultimately, despite our circumstances, it is we who choose how we will live. This must be both the most frightening and the most exhilarating concept imaginable.

So, how to make a positive difference in our own life and in the lives of others? It comes down to the age-old question: “How then shall we live?”

Bestow kindness upon others? Have courage ourselves? We then change the world — our own, and the bigger one we live in.

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