Dr. Johnson is a United Methodist pastor, the author of "Holding Up Your Corner: Talking About Race in Your Community" (Abingdon Press, 2017) and Program Director for the Bridge Alliance, which houses The Fulcrum.
The holiday season is upon us, and with it comes celebrations, reunions, and in many cases, many opinions. Navigating civic discussions may seem daunting with the current highly polarized national and international political landscape. However, it's essential to leverage this time of year to engage in meaningful conversations on pressing issues with family, friends, and even adversaries.
Society benefits from open exchanges of ideas, as it fosters growth and understanding among individuals. To ensure these exchanges are respectful, inclusive, and productive, the following are some commandments or guidelines for hosting constructive civic discussions during your holiday gatherings.
1. Thou shalt set ground rules: Encourage everyone present to adhere to broad principles such as respect, empathy, and active listening. Establishing an environment where everyone feels safe to share their views without fear of judgment or attack is vital to nurturing fruitful conversations.
2. Thou shalt find common ground: Before delving into contentious issues, it is helpful to identify shared values or interests. Recognizing mutual goals can facilitate cooperation and mutual understanding instead of antagonism.
3. Thou shalt focus on the issues: Discuss the underlying topics rather than getting entangled in ad hominem attacks or sensationalized narratives. Avoid attacking one another's character or political affiliations - they only derail the conversation from finding standard solutions.
4. Thou shalt avoid presumptions: We all wear different lenses through which we interpret the world; appreciating those differences will open pathways for genuine dialogue. Approach each discussion with curiosity and humility - resist imposing our assumptions onto others.
5. Thou shalt practice active listening: Give others the space to express themselves by listening with concentration and responding genuinely rather than waiting for gaps to interject our opinions. Active listening demonstrates respect and acknowledges their perspective's validity.
6. Thou shalt foster compassion: Demonstrating empathy towards others' perspectives can be transformative, dissolving barriers and encouraging unity. Acknowledge emotions that discussions can evoke, and work together to find resolutions rooted in shared well-being.
7. Thou shalt incorporate inclusive language: To ensure everyone feels valued, use language that respects diverse cultural backgrounds, experiences, and sensitivities.
8. Thou shalt agree to disagree: Civility doesn't necessarily mean reaching a consensus on every subject but ensuring that differing opinions are respected and don't hinder relationships. Accept that disagreements will arise, and explore lessons learned from these differences.
9. Thou shalt cultivate emotional intelligence: Gauge the room for emotional cues and adjust conversations to maintain a respectful environment. Please pay attention to both verbal and non-verbal signals as they reflect the comfort level of participants.
10. Thou shalt encourage continuous dialogue: Offer space for ongoing discussion in everyday life rather than reserving contentious conversations for special occasions. Consistently engaging in open dialogue establishes healthy habits and nurtures productive conversation within your circle.
By implementing these respectful practices in your gatherings, you can encourage respectful, enlightening exchanges while minimizing conflict. The outcome? A better understanding of our communities' challenges and the shared responsibility to build bridges of empathy, respect, and cooperation to pursue collective solutions.
A golden tray sits on the Resolute Desk as President Donald Trump speaks during an announcement on American nuclear innovation in the Oval Office at the White House on July 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Trump is signing multiple executive orders targeting the nuclear energy sector and easing rules for new reactors and nuclear fuel supply chains.
Trump’s hubris rivals the fallen heroes of ancient Greek mythology
In January, the New York Times asked President Donald Trump if there were any limits on his global powers.
“Yeah,” the president responded, “there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”
That was eight months ago, but fortunately Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster adaptation of “The Odyssey” has made ancient Greek literature newly relevant. Before that window closes, I’d like to talk about hubris.
Today, the term mostly means excessive pride or arrogance. That’s part of what the Greeks meant by it too, but the meaning was a bit richer and more specific. Hubris was an insolent or outrageous act that offended the gods, often because the transgressor was claiming abilities or authorities that solely belonged to supreme beings.
Nolan renamed and slightly modified the concept of xenia for the film, calling it “Zeus’ law.” In the director’s telling, mortals should follow the rules laid out by the gods, specifically the requirement to treat strangers with respect lest they be gods in disguise.
In a sense, hubris is the opposite, or at least the rejection, of xenia. The hubris of the suitors, and at times Odysseus himself, invites punishment by the gods and their mortal instruments.
Which brings me back to Donald Trump. His claim that there are no constraints on his personal power to dictate events on the global stage was one of the greatest expressions of hubris ever uttered by a political leader.
Trump’s claim was obviously false when he made it.
He vowed that he could end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours. He’s proved powerless to make that happen. If he had divine powers to work his will, why would he have balked at implementing his tariffs so often that Wall Street adopted the “TACO trade” term for his deals? “TACO” stands for “Trump always chickens out.”
And why would Trump have made so many embarrassing concessions to China — from rescinding tariffs on Chinese goods to allowing them to buy crucial and incredibly valuable computer chips?
But Trump saw his success at capturing Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro as proof of his ability to launch missiles to the same effect as Zeus’ lightning bolts. Trump believed he was the most powerful man who ever lived.
This is no exaggeration. In March, when the Iran invasion seemed successful, Trump gave a document penned by“Presidential Historian David King” to New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan purporting to prove that Trump was “the most powerful person to have EVER walked this planet.” King was, in fact, a businessman and occasional caddy for legendary golfer Gary Player.
King compared Trump favorably to many of history’s most powerful, and often heinous, figures: Alexander the Great, Attila the Hun, William the Conqueror, Napoleon Bonaparte, Joseph Stalin, Genghis Khan, Mao Tse Tung, Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin. Many of these men thought they were the most powerful person in the world, too. And many were defeated precisely because they believed it.
At least Napoleon and Hitler had a string of truly impressive victories before they learned the folly of hubris. The limits on Trump’s power have been exposed by far less august forces than the combined might of the allies in World War II or the fearsome Russian winter.
Iran is a comparatively middling power. But the regime’s ability to absorb punishment while imposing its will on the Strait of Hormuz has proved to be a greater constraint on Trump’s power than his morality or mind. We should note that, at least rhetorically, his morality has not proved much of a constraint. He has repeatedly promised to destroy Iranian “civilization” if the regime refuses to capitulate.
But they haven’t — and won’t anytime soon — because the regime’s tolerance for pain far outstrips Trump’s. The combined fear of skyrocketing oil prices, outrage of Gulf state potentates, diminishing weapon supplies and domestic unpopularity is doing the work that international law, congressional oversight and the collective opinion of foreign policy experts can’t or won’t do.
If I considered Trump more heroic than reason and facts could allow, I would say his Sisyphean predicament has the whiff of Greek tragedy to it. Trump is vexed by the fact that the Iranians won’t honor deals or ratify his countless premature claims of victory — giving new meaning to his vow that his presidency would make people tired of winning. It’s almost like they’re out-Trumping Trump.
Things might have gone better if he’d heeded that great Greek tragedian Sophocles: “For Zeus utterly abhors the boasts of a proud tongue.”
____
Jonah Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch and the host of The Remnant podcast. His Twitter handle is @JonahDispatch.