If there is a need for a handbook for the sociable citizens of this country during this challenging time, I believe that Mark Gerzon’s new book, “The Reunited States of America: How We Can Bridge the Partisan Divide”, is that handbook. Mark provides an overview of our sociopolitical history and theory as well as the steps we can all take to create a more functional society. His knowledge of the various organizations that are, and have been, working hard to bridge the divisions between people is vast and comes from years of trying to do just that, himself. As simply a resource for information about what is currently being done to encourage and enable sociability between people, and by whom, this book is second to none. Mark’s thoughtful prose also speaks to the heart of who we are as Americans and how we can use the freedom that we have been blessed with to allow us to move forward through this time of sociopolitical dysfunction and build the nation that we are capable of building: “Faced with a hyperpartisan political stalemate between the two major parties, America is desperately in need of fresh ideas and new approaches to public policy. Another generation of diehard ideologues, who simply repeat the partisan errors of their elders, is not what our country needs. More citizens getting involved just to prove themselves right and the other side wrong won’t help. We will just sink deeper in political quicksand.” and “If we want to honor the true diversity of America, then let’s honor our unity as well. It is through a unified renewal of our democracy that all the silent voices can one day finally be heard. For true unity is not about conformity; on the contrary, it is about the rich tapestry of”… (what we can develop by)…”working together across our differences to find common ground that can strengthen the country that we all love.” Amen!!! I hope that you enjoy reading this book as much as I have. _________________________________________________________________________ A further note on a related subject…. The Vail Symposium, in Vail, Colorado, recently hosted an event, “The Reunited States of America: Turning political differences into opportunities”, titled similarly to the book just spoken of. Mark Gerzon was the keynote speaker. The event brought together around 90 individuals, for what turned out to be an experiment in issue recognition, and the presentation and acceptance of various legislative solutions to the problems those issues present, all from different political points of view. The results of the experiment were quite enlightening and showed that, in a group of engaged citizens, regardless of political orientation, thoughtful solutions are much more acceptable to the overwhelming majority, than simple, extreme solutions that do not take into account the nuances of a given situation. The Vail Symposium, which began as a once-annual summer conference held to guide Vail’s development in the early 1970’s, holds nearly 50 events each year to explore pressing issues in geopolitics alongside breakthroughs in health and wellness, adventure, consciousness, culture and technology. When the end of the event was nearing, it was suggested during discussion that the results of the experiment and its conclusion should be shared with our elected officials and representatives. To that end, I drafted a letter to those officials and representatives and posted its contents as a part of a petition (again on Change.org) at this web address: https://www.change.org/p/elected-officials-and-representatives-elected-officials-representatives-please-consider-multi-partisan-solutions-to-problems If you find that you agree with the petition, please feel free to share and/or copy the contents of the letter and send it to your elected officials and congressmen. Signing the petition will help to show the number of people who agree with and support its request. _________________________________________________________________________ As always, if there is something that any of you would like to share with me or the other members of our society, my email address is: arlan4@centurytel.net My best to all of you, Arlan