I just returned from vacation. During that vacation, we got to visit a few very memorable places including:

• the World War 2 museum in New Orleans
• the Holocaust museum in San Antonio
• the Alamo in San Antonio

I learned something new at the WW2 museum that I never knew before that triggered a line of thought in me that continued throughout the vacation. The way the WW2 museum was laid out, we first got to learn about the Japanese portion of the war. What I learned, that I had never heard before, was that the Japanese were at least partially motivated by the belief that they were superior to other Asian races and used that belief to justify their expansion into other countries. Obviously, I was already well aware of the German belief that they were the superior race which led to their treatment of Jews, as well as other groups, but I hadn’t realized that this type of belief also played a role in the Japanese side of the war.

After learning about the Japanese war, we also learned about the German war, and this reemphasized the role that the belief of German superiority played in the war. Then, a few days later during the visit to the Holocaust museum, this belief was dramatically reemphasized.

A day after the Holocaust museum, we visited the Alamo (which was fantastic, but not what this post is about). The notable event was that we walked through a city park on our way to the Alamo. Although we didn’t plan it that way (just coincidence based on the dates we were travelling), we were visiting the Alamo on June 19… aka Juneteenth. In the park we walked through, the city was holding a celebration of the holiday, which is of special interest to Texas because June 19th was the day that Texas officially ended slavery, the last of the states to do so.

As I was reflecting on these visits, it struck me once again of the absolute need for every individual to purge from their minds the belief that one group (the group they belong to) is superior to another (the group that they do not belong to).

If you can fill in the blank on any of these questions:

• My group is superior to group _______
• The rights of my group supercede those of group _______
• I dislike member of group _______
• My group’s solutions are right and those of group _______ are wrong

where you will fill in the blank with the label for some group, then there is a problem. The blank might contain a racial group such as Jew, Black, or Hispanic. It might contain a religious group such as Muslim or Latter Day Saint. It might contain a political group such as Democrat, Republican, MAGA, or Socialist. It might refer to one of a number of other groups which have attracted, or even created, controversy such as LGBT, Black Lives Matter, or Anti-vaxxers.

The fact of the matter is that regarding one group as superior and another as inferior; treating one group’s concerns as valid, while disregarding those of another group; ignoring a group simply because they are different than your own; these are the behaviors that have created some of the largest problems that we have faced as a nation. If you can fill in any of the above statements with any of the groups I have listed (or others that I have not listed), and if in doing so, the resulting sentence accurately reflect how you feel, then there is a problem. The group you filled in is NOT the source of the problem. You are.

All of us have a natural bias to favor the groups that we are familiar with; the groups that we belong to. That’s part of being human. It’s hard coded into our brains to want to be around people that are similar to us, and remove ourselves from people who are different than us (or even worse, kick the others out). As a result, if we are honest, all of us can fill in those statements, probably with one of the very groups that I mentioned above, and the statement will be accurate to some degree.

The only way to solve this is to sit down and get to know each other. We have to make an effort to put away our bias and listen to the OTHER groups. It’s hard, becase at some level, we really do feel that they are wrong and we are right, or that we are on the higher ground and they are on the lower ground. Those attitudes will not help however. As a matter of fact, all they do is serve to propogate the problem.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I get to watch general conference twice a year: a time when our leaders give us special guidance. My favorite quote from the most recent conference is this:

Two years ago, I called upon us, as covenant followers of Jesus Christ, to be peacemakers. I repeat what I said then: “Anger never persuades. Hostility builds no one. Contention never leads to inspired solutions.”

True charity towards all men is the hallmark of peacemakers! It is imperative that we have charity in our discourse, both public and private. I thank those of you who took my previous counsel to heart. But we can still do better.

The present hostility in public dialogue and on social media is alarming. Hateful words are deadly weapons. Contention prevents the Holy Ghost from being our constant companion.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we should lead the way as peacemakers. As charity becomes part of our nature, we will lose the impulse to demean others. We will stop judging others. We will have charity for those from all walks of life. Charity towards all men is essential to our progress. Charity is the foundation of a godly character. (Russell M. Nelson, Confidence in the Presence of God, April 2025 General Conference)

As a member of the church, those words have special meaning to me, but even without that membership, those are words to live by. Those words describe the only way that will heal our society.

I have been calling for more tolerance and kindness in political debates for a few years now. Since my encounters on vacation, I’m recommitting myself to that course. I would call upon my friends, family members, and acquaintences to be more understanding when talking to each other, and to recognize that their ideas, which may be drastically different than your own, have value and should be treated with respect.

If we could all do that… the divisiveness of today’s society would begin to wither up and die. And that will be a very welome change!