The president’s State of the Union address signals the start of a new federal cycle. What will this new chapter bring? How will the elected few guide the nation?

Here are some thoughts for both Congress and the president to consider.

At the close of Mr. Jefferson’s Declaration are these immortal words: “…we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, & our sacred Honor.”

While we cherish the spirit of “rugged individualism,” we are, in truth, a nation of 315 million people bound by shared values of liberty, respect, responsibility, and fairness.

Members of Congress take an oath:

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”

Though elected to represent the needs of their own states, members must not do so at the cost of the nation’s well-being. Representation should never be fueled by the fear and hatred we’ve witnessed in recent years.

In his farewell address, President Eisenhower warned against becoming a “community of dreadful fear and hate,” urging us to remain a “proud confederation of mutual trust and respect.”

In recent times, trust and respect for our leaders have waned. With so many competing interests, integrity has often given way to self-interest.

The nation’s character has been tested, from the great recession triggered by financial excesses, to ethics scandals that shattered our trust in those we believed in. This loss of confidence has weighed heavily on us, making it feel at times like we may never rise again. But gradually, we are.

To those privileged to govern: remember, your duty is to serve the many, not the few. Your responsibility is to the future of the nation, not just the next election. Too often, personal interests have taken precedence over the common good.

As former Governor Mario Cuomo wisely said, “…self-interest is a powerful motivator, perhaps the most powerful one. If we hope to re-establish our strength, confidence, and balance as a nation …we must understand that, apart from the morality of recognizing an obligation to others, common sense alone should teach us that we are all interconnected and interdependent.”

Members of Congress must embrace that interdependence, working across divides to restore the nation’s strength, confidence, and balance.

Mr. President, members of Congress, the people have entrusted you to lead with integrity, and to guide us toward a future built on strength and confidence, grounded in mutual trust and allegiance to the Constitution.