Tim Shriver created The Dignity Index to shift how we interact with other people in all facets of life — from public and political conversations to daily engagements with those who are different from us or who hold views we don’t share.

Timothy Shriver, CEO of Unite, spoke at the Gardner Policy Institute on Friday about the importance of respecting those with differing opinions and “disagreeing better.”

Is talking politics in the workplace a bad idea? Is talking politics in general a bad idea? Plenty of Americans think so. For a long time, I did too. 

An oral historian, a civic designer and the head of a nonprofit focused on bringing dignity back to politics are among the new class of fellows supported by Emerson Collective, the organization founded by Laurene Powell Jobs.

When Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, agreed to film an advertisement for Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s “Disagree Better” initiative, he knew just who he would ask.

If you’re tired of insult-slinging and debates that go in circles, you’re not alone.

How would you like to wake up in America and feel like it’s within your power to change the course of the country? Millions don’t—I know that. And I have to be honest that there are some days when I feel defeated by all the contempt. But not today!

I’ve heard it over and over again: “this is going to be a terrible year.” Wars could get worse, divisiveness is everywhere, violence is an increasing risk at home, our mental health is disastrous, and our presidential election is going to tear us apart. “I’m just bracing for chaos, Dad,” my son told me last week. “It’s going to be rough.”

Last week I was in Atlanta for the annual conference of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). On opening night, I was honored to host a chat with Jewel, the multi-platinum, transcendent-voiced, singer-songwriter who’s not only a rock star but a star in teaching social and emotional learning, too. She told stories of her childhood abuse, her homelessness, and her awakening to her own power and ability to change the course of her life.

Americans may be more divided than ever, but some say our disagreements aren’t causing the division, but what we do when we disagree. At this year’s Fall Sussman Lecture, Tim Shriver will discuss “The Dignity Index”, which was developed by his nonprofit UNITE, and share how it can be applied to solve the country's toxic political and cultural divides.

Earlier this year, Washoe County Commissioner Mariluz Garcia had enough of what had been months of disrespect from the public during county commission meetings.

Imagine a world where it’s normal and unremarkable for people to disagree without insults, threats and outrage spilling into their conversation. That is no longer the world we inhabit, where outrage and contempt have become the norm, but Tim Shriver has a solution.

In a word, dignity.

What is “dignity in public discourse”? It’s a question community engagement expert Tami Pyfer will explore later this month during a special meeting of Washoe’s Board of County Commissioners. The Oct. 24 meeting includes a strategic planning session following Pyfer’s workshop. 

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is continuing his campaign to try to convince Americans to “disagree better” with a recent series of bipartisan events in New Hampshire.

Meet Tami, a Utah special-ed teacher, Mormon Tabernacle singer and mom of five who launched a civility index website to grade America’s politicians. And then had to take it down because of comments we will say weren’t remotely civil. 

Political division in the United States has reached unprecedented levels in recent years, casting a long shadow over the nation’s democratic fabric. This deep-seated polarization is characterized by stark ideological differences, creating an increasingly hostile political landscape. The roots of this political division can be traced to several factors, including economic disparities, cultural clashes, and the rise of identity politics. Social media has furthered this political division by creating echo chambers that reinforce pre-existing beliefs and stoke animosity toward opposing viewpoints.

In his opening meeting this past week as Chair of the National Governors Association, Republican Governor Spencer Cox of Utah called on the nation's governors to join his initiative Disagreeing Better: Healthy Conflict for Better Policy. The initiative, designed to improve the quality of public debate, urges governors to be leaders in elevating the substance and reducing the toxic style of current political discourse.

“Graduates, I don’t come here to ask you to have faith in human dignity. I don't come here because I have some deep belief in it. I don't come here because I have a theory about it. I come here because I've seen it. I know it exists,” Shriver said. “I’m here to ask you — to beg you — as you go forward from here, don't listen to the voices that are telling you to blame and shame and treat others with contempt. Turn them off, tune them out, shut them down.”

How are you going to change the discourse with your organization UNITE?

We’re just trying to reveal to people the ways in which contempt has infiltrated their lives. Most people are not aware of it. We don’t have to tell them what to do, just have a discussion. Challenge yourself. Invite yourself. Who’s your best self? That’s the question. Create a conversation so that people can dialogue about how to change it, and then ultimately create tools for people that want to change so that they can do so. It’s pretty easy. Treat your fellow Americans with dignity. Full stop. That’s the invitation.

The “perfect storm” of forces has contributed to the nation’s “cycle of addiction to contempt,” he said.

Restoring dignity to public discourse and to basic human interactions requires self-reflection and committing to personal change regarding our perceptions of those we consider “other,” he said.