We all know we’ve gone too far down the path of “me, myself, and I.” This has left us lonely, afraid, and feeling a lack of meaning, missing the mystery and beauty of the world around us. We were told that greed is good, but now we’re hungry for something greater—a common good.
It might seem easy to say that we need to swing in the opposite direction and move toward the collective, toward “we.” But this can sometimes backfire. More than ever in human history, we value individual rights, self-determination, and the uniqueness of each person. Making a knee-jerk, 180-degree shift might not be the best approach. Simply replacing “me” with “we” doesn’t fully capture what’s needed.
We need a third way, another option, an evolutionary step.
Instead, I suggest that we hold on to our sense of “me” while strengthening our connection to the community, to our “we.”
We can be true to ourselves while also coming together in groups. We can belong to smaller groups and form larger partnerships with others. We can be aware of other groups, respect them, and even disagree on certain things while maintaining that respect.
This isn’t something we can just think our way into. It can’t happen in front of our TV screens or staring at our phones — it must be experienced. That’s why PTU is offering both the Potluck for Democracy and the more intensive process, Let’s Go Together. These initiatives help us find our way, through experience, to a society that balances both “I” and “We.”
With over 8 billion people on this planet, we can’t afford to continue down the road of division and isolation. This work isn’t just a “nice to have”—it’s essential for our survival as a species and as part of our ecosystem.