Photo: Tom Allport

“If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher.”— Abraham Lincoln

The absence of truth at the microphone tells us just how far we’ve fallen. And every day, we feel that distance grow—each news cycle thick with chaos, each headline steeped in grievance or fear.

We are exhausted—not just politically, but spiritually.

For years, we’ve been pulled into a churn of anger and outrage. And while it’s tempting to keep watching, keep reacting, keep shouting at the screen… maybe the wiser act is to step back—just enough to remember what matters.

How do we mend a divide that’s tearing at the soul of the nation?

What we need now, more than ever, isn’t “Make America Great Again.”

It’s Make America Civil Again.

Can we at least agree on that?

Because beneath the anger and division, most Americans still believe in basic decency—treating others with respect, taking responsibility for our actions, and showing kindness even in disagreement.

That’s not partisan. That’s who we are at our best. That’s how we’ve built a democracy where all strive for the pursuit of happiness—a society that depends not on fear or force, but on trust, character, and a shared commitment to one another.

That light—that guiding ideal—is what we’ve fought and died for throughout our nation’s history.

Today, I’m done being dragged through every lie and every outburst. It poisons how we think, how we see each other, and it poisons our faith in democracy. I’m not suggesting we stop peaceful protests. Do it. We need it. It’s essential. And that’s part of democracy, too!

But this minute, this second… I’ve stopped watching the nightmare Lincoln warned of play out as a daily loop on cable. I’m stepping back from the chaos—not to disengage, but to refocus: read more, listen to music, watch a film, take a walk, breathe deeply. Reclaim the clarity that chaos can’t offer.

While re-reading Sherlock Holmes and his battles with criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty, it struck me—Donald Trump is our Moriarty… absent the genius, the education, or the subtlety. Just the ego and the chaos.

So, here’s the challenge: Unplug from Donald Trump.

Try it. For a day. A week. Maybe even longer. Take a break from the manufactured fury. Remember who you are when you’re not being shouted at. Focus on the truths that endure—not the noise that burns out by sunset. Because when we remember what matters—family, friends, books, beauty, silence, kindness—we begin to restore what has been lost.

And maybe, just maybe… We can Make America Breathe Again.

I will return after Labor Day…sometime.