I. Respect

My Dearest Americans,

The Empress is disheartened by the intolerance, the mean-spiritedness, the condescension, and the personal attacks in public discourse.

The Empress understands that anger comes from hurt, frustration and disappointment.  We have every right to feel emotional.  For too long, we have been abused by government, wealthy special interests, and the media.  Unfortunately, we are misdirecting our anger at our American brothers and sisters.

Division and lack of respect for fellow human beings is a death sentence for any society.  Division has been used as a tool by the powerful throughout history.  We cannot fall victim to those who wish to divide us.  We must take another approach.

We are in a period of transition.  The demographics of our Nation have changed, and our culture and cultural norms are evolving.  We must be able to work together, without rancor, to adjust to these changes moving forward.

We must resist division, seek unity, and find common ground.  Finding common ground does not involve winners or losers, right or wrong.  Finding common ground is a way to move forward into a more united America.

Together, we must unite to show a better face to our children and to the world, and lead by our good example.

If America were to be invaded by a hostile power, we would not care about the race, religion, sexual orientation, or political party of our neighbors.  We would be one “people”.

Kindness, decency, compassion and consideration should be our cultural traits.  These traits will lead us to real progress in all our endeavors.

There is nothing more powerful than a truly United States of America.

Reminders:

• Tolerance of, and respect for other’s views should be the hallmark of American society.
• Allow others their freedom of speech.
• Do not attack or insult people for disagreeing with you.
• Always be interested in the opinions of others.
• Always show compassion toward your fellow humans.
• Remain dignified.
• No name-calling.
• Resist jumping to conclusions based on limited knowledge of an individual.
• Remember that people are generally not all bad or all good.
• Seek common areas of interest — they are always there.
• We must give others the benefit of the doubt – do not assume the worst.
• Use the starter: “I may be wrong, but…”, or “Have you ever considered?”
• After a debate, thank each other, because you have both taught each other something, and be thankful we live in a Nation where we can express our opinions openly.
• When a news program, talk show, or podcast devolves into insults, raised voices, or mockery, turn it off.
• Do not become addicted to conflict, and the stress hormones that conflict produces in our bodies.
• We must treat unkindness as inappropriate, and unnecessary, when standing up for fairness and justice.
• Our freedoms and rights should be enjoyed by all, even with those with whom one does not agree.