Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

So this is Christmas. And what have you (we) done?

David Nevins is co-publisher of The Fulcrum and co-founder and board chairman of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund.

“Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” a song by John Lennon released in 1971 that has become a Christmas classic, is more relevant today than ever.

As we approach 2024, a year that will certainly test our resolve as a nation and test our democracy, the opening verse of the song is a question all of us as Americans should ask:

So this is Christmas
And what have you done?
Another year over
And a new one just begun
 

The song’s message – calling for an end to fear and war, for hope and peace – is still applicable today, especially considering the ongoing conflicts in our nation and wars around the world. And the message of asking what each one of us can do rings as loudly today as ever. Hope is empty unless it is accompanied by helpful action.


The lyrics remind us that we should strive for a better world, where people of all races and backgrounds can live together in harmony. The song encourages us to look beyond our differences and work towards a common goal of peace and love.

As I listen again to “Happy Xmas,” I am reminded of John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address, delivered 10 years before Lennon’s song debuted. It has a similar message but with a call to action for us as a people:

“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

Yes, a call to action for Americans to contribute to their country and to work towards a better future for all. In 1961, when Kennedy delivered the speech, our nation was facing many challenges as it is today. He

inspired millions of people to take action and work towards a better future.

Yet for us to take action we must have hope. The two are inextricably woven together. Hope is a powerful emotion that often inspires us to achieve remarkable things. In 1963, just two years after Kennedy’s inaugural address, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his own famous speech of hope, asking those in attendance to never give up.

“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”

There are thousands of organizations working towards a better future in communities and organizations around the world. In the corner of the world reached by The Fulcrum, we highlight election reforms and bridging work daily. What is missing are millions of Americans who take action in good faith, willing to set aside differences for a brighter future.

So today, as we approach Christmas day 2023, ask yourself, “What have you done”? And most importantly ask yourself, “What you can do for your country?”

Consider answering that question with a simple, but meaningful, first step:

Affirm your commitment to a safe, fair and peaceful 2024 election.

Take the words of John Lennon, JFK and MLK to heart, and take action and make a Pledge for Democracy.

Click here to read and sign the Pledge.

On this Christmas day, reflect on how you can help bring about the dream of a brighter future. Please join us in 2024 so the glory of our nation will be revealed.

Wishing you peace, goodwill and hope.

And of course enjoy John Lennon’s beautiful song:

HAPPY XMAS (WAR IS OVER). (Ultimate Mix, 2020) John & Yoko Plastic Ono Band + Harlem Community Choirwww.youtube.com

Read More

From Vision to Action: 
Remaking the World Through Social Entrepreneurship
blue and brown globe on persons hand
Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash

From Vision to Action: Remaking the World Through Social Entrepreneurship

Social entrepreneurs are people who launch ventures aimed at promoting positive change in their community and in the world. I am such a person. In 1982, I founded a nonprofit organization called Search for Common Ground (informally known as “Search”). My bottom line was not financial gain but making the world a better place.

My credentials as a social entrepreneur grew out of my hands-on involvement in building Search from zero into the world’s largest nonprofit group involved in peacebuilding. My partner and closest collaborator wasand ismy wife, Susan Collin Marks. By the time we stepped down from Search’s leadership in 2014, we had a deeply committed staff of 600 employees working out of offices in 35 countries. In 2018, Search was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bruce Springsteen Speaks Out: Rise With Us and Raise Your Voices

Bruce Springsteen and Max Weinberg perform during the first night of 'The Land of Hopes and Dreams' tour at Co-op Live on May 14, 2025 in Manchester, England.

Getty Images, Shirlaine Forrest

Bruce Springsteen Speaks Out: Rise With Us and Raise Your Voices

During Bruce Springsteen’s recent Land of Hope and Dreams tour in Europe, the legendary musician drew the ire of President Trump at a concert in Manchester, England, on May 14, 2025. Springsteen openly criticized the Trump administration, calling it "corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous" and urging the audience to stand against authoritarianism.

He expanded on his concerns during the introduction to My City of Ruins, delivering a powerful statement on the state of democracy. Addressing the crowd, he declared: "There’s some very weird, strange, and dangerous shit going on out there right now. In America, they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. This is happening now. In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now."

Keep ReadingShow less
Navy Midshipmen’s Win Inspires Trump’s Vision of Strength

President Donald Trump honored the Navy Midshipmen football team in the East Room of the White House during a ceremony presenting the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Washington.

Photo by Matthew Shea/Medill News Service

Navy Midshipmen’s Win Inspires Trump’s Vision of Strength

WASHINGTON – With grit and team camaraderie, the Navy Midshipmen football team marched into the White House Tuesday, ready to hoist the Commander-in-Chief Trophy for winning the series in December against the Army and Air Force academies.

Their performance, both on and off the field, mirrored the kind of resilience and relentless spirit Trump said he wanted to see across the entire U.S. military.

Keep ReadingShow less
The White Lotus Politics: Is Hollywood Storytelling Shifting Right?

Premiere of HBO Original Series "The White Lotus" Season 3 at Paramount Theatre on February 10, 2025, in Los Angeles, California.

(Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)

The White Lotus Politics: Is Hollywood Storytelling Shifting Right?

As HBO's The White Lotus nears its season three finale, Mike White's dark exploration of the human condition through privilege and class has not only continued to seep into our cultural conversations but has increasingly woven itself into our political ones. The series, which has always been inherently political, made it more overt this season through the friendship of three women with clashing political views (played by Michelle Monaghan, Carrie Coon, and Leslie Bibb)—that culminated in a now-infamous dinner scene that captured the current political malaise defining so many of our American interactions today.

For an entertainment industry long viewed as American culture's most progressive stronghold, this show exists at a time when the Trump administration is censoring museums and muzzling news organizations, all coinciding with a swell of conservative voices gaining more visibility within the broader culture. Take NBC's Saturday Night Live, which, this March, invited country singer Morgan Wallen to perform for a second  time, years after a video surfaced of him using a racial slur outside his Nashville home in 2021.

Keep ReadingShow less