When I visited West Point 18 months ago to teach cadets about our work in the dignity movement, I was worried that my message would be controversial.  

I found the opposite. The students welcomed me and were fascinated by the Dignity Index.

A few days ago, I was reading the Metro section of the Washington Post and saw a quote from Tami Pyfer. What?! It was an article about a public hearing in Takoma Park, about five miles from my house. What was my Dignity Index colleague, Tami Pyfer, a native of Utah, saying about my neighboring town?

“I don’t want to die young.”

Those were the words of Lucas Haase, a West Point cadet who was invited to address the National Governors Association annual meeting in Washington, D.C. last week. He was at the conference hall with 11 classmates who’d come to D.C. as part of their study of political science. His audience included governors from more than 20 states, corporate leaders, and nationally prominent journalists.

Some of my earliest lessons about dignity came from learning how to work through moments of feeling different—like I didn’t belong.

Growing up in rural Montana, my church congregation was small, with few kids my age.

Sports are in the headlines this week with both Super Bowl LX and the Winter Olympic Games grabbing attention around the world. Bad Bunny may have stolen the show at the Super Bowl, but for my Patriots, it was just plain bad! I’d rather talk about the Olympics!

I have a friend who’s a Trump supporter, and I recently sent him something I’d written about Minneapolis and asked him what he thought. He asked me why I wanted his views, and I said that I was trying to write something about our country that amounts to more than me talking to me—or to people who agree with me. 

The emails from my colleagues started buzzing after the news of the murder of Alex Pretti was announced. The subject line told the whole story: “I am not ok.”

In our toxic political environment, with leaders feeling increasing pressure to demonstrate strength by “fighting fire with fire,” evidence continues to point to the contrary: that leading with dignity is the way forward.

Some of you are old enough to remember the extraordinary songwriting and singing gifts of Marvin Gaye. During his short life, he composed and performed classics like “Dancin' in the Street,” “My PYT,” and “What’s Going On.” Tragically, he was murdered in 1984 by his father at the age of just 44.  

Over the last week, it was the lyrics of his classic song, “Mercy, Mercy, Me” that came to my mind.

The Dignity Index is pro-free speech.  

Some people are surprised to hear us say this—because they think “if you’re discouraging contempt, you’re discouraging speech.” But the opposite is true. Contempt keeps people from speaking their minds. So if we discourage contempt, we encourage speech.

I spent last week in Washington, D.C., in planning sessions with our team and participating in other meetings and events related to our work of growing the dignity movement. Inspired by the week, and with an hour to spare, I walked to the Lincoln Memorial for an extra dose of hope before heading to the airport.

Last week, I got the flu. Influenza A, to be exact. I’m one of those people who has been extraordinarily lucky with my health over the years and have rarely been sick. Lucky me. But this time, I got the full flu. Bed for days. Sweats. Aches. Hacking cough. Throbbing head. The full works.

A week before Thanksgiving, I was speaking at an online event hosted by R Street Institute, a center-right think tank here in Washington, DC. We came to discuss the causes of political violence, and on the panel before mine, I was lucky to hear from author Noah Rothman, who is a senior writer for the National Review.

Which political party do you most affiliate with?

This question was asked recently in a national poll conducted by CNN and reported by the American Enterprise Institute—and the results were striking.

I’d just concluded a presentation about our dignity movement to a group of bridge builders and community leaders in Utah and was chatting with some of the attendees. I noticed a guest whom I’d seen earlier at a breakfast conversation, and I remembered seeing her at our dignity summit the day before.

To protect free speech, treat others with respect and dignity.

Free speech is a cause promoted and defended by many groups and from many perspectives. But there is one threat to free speech that is getting overlooked in our angry society — the contempt that surrounds us so much we can hardly see it anymore.

I am a political junkie. 

I’m writing this essay as I watch the election results roll in—here in my own community and from across the country. In Utah, local municipal elections fall on the odd-numbered years, and although these races may be perhaps the least noticed contests, they often have the greatest impact on our daily lives. 

What a week!  

The Dignity movement had its first-ever gathering, and it was a sell-out!  We called it a “leadership summit,” but it was more like a love fest—equal parts learning and inspiration; equal parts taking notes and taking names; equal parts listening to understand and sharing our truth as best we could.

Just over a decade ago, the University of Utah launched a new public policy institute that distinguished itself almost immediately as a vital hub for research to help political and business leaders make informed decisions.

For years, we’ve been worried that a culture of contempt would produce an increase in violence. Tragically, we’ve seen exactly that in recent weeks.