TRUE NORTH

CHAPTER 31 : Is America having a True North moment?

I have not wanted to get frankly political in this book, but watching the events in our country since the 2025 inauguration of our current president, I am worried that we have lost our way.

Is the USA having a True North moment?

We have learned that losing touch with our true north, our best selves, leads to stress, disease and possible early death. We also learned that, in order to stay on track with one’s True North, we need a good handle on our essential self, our true nature. Once we are in touch with best version of ourselves, we can then work to preserve our best selves by staying on our True North.

Fundamentally, the United States is a compassionate Country, traditionally open to immigrants and refugees, generous to those people and countries in need and always ready to standup for the underdog, the disadvantaged, the underprivileged, the handicapped and the oppressed. For most of the modern age, certainly after the world wars of the 20th Century, the US was seen by the rest of world as magnanimous, caring and wise. As Winston Churchill once noted, “America always does the right thing, after trying everything else first!”

In my opinion, having lost our true north, we are not doing the “right thing” these days.

The shooting death of Renee Good, and the execution of Alex Pretty have spurred many to protest, become active in their communities, and to fight for justice. At the very least we all must speak out against the current trend toward becoming a fascist police state.

This is not who we are, and using the True North model, if we continue this course toward magnetic false north, we may become sicker as a country and our very survival is at stake.

If we cannot count on our elected leaders and their followers to follow or true north, then we must do it ourselves. We are still democracy and we still have our voices. We must speak out to right this ship of state, get us back to our True North. We ere never perfect. No country is perfect, but we are no longer the “Shining city on a hill” as Ronald Reagan described the USA, citing our position in the world community.

There was a time, not long ago, when we were respected deeply around the world for our compassionate caring and ability to get things done for others in need. Not long ago, when there was a crisis in the world - war, famine, disease, oppression, natural disaster, or practically anything else, the world looked to the Unite States to help. I fear we have lost that standing. And my fellow citizens are losing confidence in our willingness to be there for anyone, at home or abroad. All because we lost our True North, and are not yet motivated enough to get it back!

It may take years or even decades to repair our standing in the world and with our own citizens, but it must start with us. We need a return to kindness, compassion, empathy and concern for our fellow man. If enough of us return to these values and insist on our government embracing them as well, we may have a chance to recapture our True North and operate in line with our cherished values. Isn’t that the whole point of democracy - the country got in the direction the majority of citizen want it to go?And if we don’t change course soon, God help us!

And then I watched the Super Bowl, the drama of the actual game eclipsed by the amazing, inspiring, joyful half time show by Bad Bunny. When he concluded his beautiful performance by shouting, “God Bless America!”, and then listing ALL the countries that make up the Americas, I was inspired and thought There is Hope! The joyfulness of family, hard work, service, sacrifice and faith depicted in that amazing performance, and even the inane, desperate partisan negative reaction to Mr. Bunny’s tour de force reassure me and give me hope that we have not yet completely lost our humanity, which is our TRUE NORTH.