Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

How a 101-year-old World War II veteran honors the fallen

Bill Fichtel

“I’m not big on politics — just lead a good life and uphold your values,” Fichtel said.

Brian Clancy

Clancy is co-founder of Citizen Connect and board member of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund. Citizen Connect is an initiative of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund, which also operates The Fulcrum.

I attended a beloved neighbor’s 101st birthday party recently. Bill Fichtel is the heart and soul of our Florida community, and as he began speaking we all leaned in to savor his wit and wisdom. It occurred to me in that moment that Bill’s insights should be shared more broadly. During this crazy election year, America needs more voices offering authentic wisdom — not just spin and finger pointing.


Given his military service and the friends he lost in World War II, Memorial Day felt like the ideal time to celebrate this amazing man. Much has been written about the Greatest Generation, but spending time with its members really brings to life what made them so special. For all that’s changed in the world, I’m convinced that Bill and his remarkable generation have timeless guidance for us all. I’m confident you’ll find his life lessons very relevant to the challenges we’re facing today at home and around the world.

Bill’s lessons to live by:

1. Focus on gratitude and a commitment to paying it forward — not anger or regrets. Talking about the friends he lost in the war, Bill said that what bothers him most is that they “never saw the good things,” like having a family. That opportunity to live a rich and meaningful life is “what the people we lost saved for us” and Bill has embraced that gift in so many ways — including having a wonderful family and being a leader in his community and his church.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

2. It’s the simple things in life that really matter. We talked a lot about the source of that insight. Bill thinks growing up in the Depression and surviving the war both played a role in deeply appreciating this fact. Bill believes it’s harder to focus on what really matters today. “We lived a simple life and didn’t expect everything — we weren’t badgered by TV telling us everything we could have or do,” he said. He didn’t mention smartphones and social media, but I will.

3. Put country and core values over politics. Politics has always been more personal and local for Bill — which has kept him from being swept up into today’s toxic partisanship. “I’m not big on politics — just lead a good life and uphold your values,” he said. “Keep everything above board” and “be a stand-up person.” For him, being a good citizen isn’t about fighting the other side, it’s about caring for all your neighbors — “we need to respect each other.”

4. If you’re part of a community, lean in early and often. Bill’s apartment overlooks the entrance to our complex and he gives everyone coming in a warm welcome even if they’re just dropping off a package. But what really energizes him is working with people on issues he cares about. I don’t have room to list all the organizations he’s had leadership roles in over the years, but they include local government, his church, a library, an art museum, a historical society, business associations, the Rotary Club, the American Legion, sporting groups and, probably the most apt, the Optimist Club!

5. Investing in friendships is the key to a happy and healthy life. For Bill friendship isn’t a concept it’s a verb. That means no matter how busy you are with work and family, you make the time to keep up with friends. Just one dear friend from the war is still alive, but nothing stops him from continuing to make new friends to this day.

6. Balance hard work with fun. “We had a ball.” “We had so much fun.” “We had a great time.” Bill kept saying these phrases again and again with a big smile. They came up on a wide variety of topics including family, golf, tennis, fishing, vacations or just hanging out with friends. He clearly sees fun and joy as essential ingredients for the good life.

7. Set your sights on the future — don’t dwell on the past. Bill was insistent that we do a second interview. The reason was he wanted to talk about “the future.” He felt we’d talked too much about the past the first time and not enough about “the big question,” which he sees as how to create a bright future together. For Bill the key ingredient to making your community better is finding ways to get people directly around you working toward common goals.

Of all the inspiring things I heard Bill say, his call to work with others to “pay back what’s due” struck me the most. It felt like a personal challenge —and an opportunity. It’s easy these days to sit on the sidelines and complain about the state of the country and the world, but if we want things to change we have to personally answer the call. That’s what Bill and his friends did big time when the world needed them most. Explore websites like VolunteerMatch and Citizen Connect (which I co-founded) right now and find a wide range of ways to make a difference!

Read More

a group of people arranged in the shape of the United states of America map

A group of people arranged in the shape of the United states of America map.

Getty Images, attjeacock

Where Is the “Real America”?

Is there such a thing as a “real America”? A battle now rages over this simple question. Some Democratic party operatives claim the real America are so-called “Trump voters,” who they say they need to better “study” in order to win future elections. Many Republican voices argue the real America are just those who support the new administration 100% of the time. Still, others assert that different demographics or geography comprise the real America. It’s as if the real America is one particular slice or another of our nation.

These caricatures lead us sorely astray. But there is a real America. I work in it every day.

Keep ReadingShow less
‘When People Spend Time Together, They Are Less Inclined To See Each Other As the Enemy’: ​A Conversation With Matt Grossmann

Picture of Matt Grossmann

‘When People Spend Time Together, They Are Less Inclined To See Each Other As the Enemy’: ​A Conversation With Matt Grossmann

In The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway famously observed that a character went broke in two ways: gradually, then suddenly. The same dynamic has been at work in American politics. For decades, the composition of our principal political parties has been slowly shifting, without a great deal of public attention. And then the 2024 presidential election happened, and it was suddenly obvious: the Democrats, traditionally the party of the working class, had become the party of educated elites.

Matt Grossmann has been a keen observer of this transition. A professor of political science at Michigan State University, Grossmann also directs the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research and hosts the “Science of Politics” podcast for the Niskanen Center. With his co-author David A. Hopkins, Grossmann recently published Polarized by Degrees: How the Diploma Divide and the Culture War Transformed American Politics, a book that documents a remarkable shift in American society. Since 1960, we have seen a massive expansion in the number of adult Americans earning college degrees—from roughly 7 percent of the population to nearly 40 percent.

Keep ReadingShow less
Drain—More Than Fight—Authoritarianism and Censorship
Getty Images, Mykyta Ivanov

Drain—More Than Fight—Authoritarianism and Censorship

The current approaches to proactively counteracting authoritarianism and censorship fall into two main categories, which we call “fighting” and “Constitution-defending.” While Constitution-defending in particular has some value, this article advocates for a third major method: draining interest in authoritarianism and censorship.

“Draining” refers to sapping interest in these extreme possibilities of authoritarianism and censorship. In practical terms, it comes from reducing an overblown sense of threat of fellow Americans across the political spectrum. When there is less to fear about each other, there is less desire for authoritarianism or censorship.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Moral Awakening of Cory Booker's Marathon Speech
Cory Booker | U.S. Senator Cory Booker speaking with attende… | Flickr
www.flickr.com

The Moral Awakening of Cory Booker's Marathon Speech

Just when prophetic witness felt muted by political expediency, Senator Cory Booker's unprecedented 25-hour marathon speech on the Senate floor is a powerful testament to moral courage and democratic resilience. Beginning at 7 p.m. on Monday (3/31/25) and extending through Tuesday (4/1/25) evening, Booker's historic address surpassed Strom Thurmond's infamous 1957 record, though with a profound difference, reconstituting the meaning of a "moral moment."

The New Jersey senator's sustained oratory wasn't merely a political gesture—it embodied the prophetic tradition that has long animated America's moral progress. Like the Hebrew prophets who stood before kings, speaking truth to power at high personal cost, Booker's political discourse represented a contemporary form of bearing witness. His physical endurance became a metaphor for the sustained resistance required in facing injustice.

Keep ReadingShow less