Another New Beginning...

December1, 2025

My Dear Mrs. Roosevelt,

In my last letter, I told you I was beginning a new project, though I wasn’t ready to name it yet. I only knew it had something to do with how people are trying—and often struggling—to stay human with one another during a time when politics feels as if it is pulling us apart.

Since then, the idea has taken shape and surprised me with its simplicity and honesty.

I’m calling it Politics of Being Human — not politics as in parties or platforms, but politics as in how we live together:

How we treat one another.
How we restore dignity in public life.
How we stay connected even when we disagree.
How we choose the long work of being a people and not just a population.

Politics of Being Human is my attempt to explore the practices, habits, stories, and everyday actions that help us stay human in a noisy, divided world. Because if democracy is a habit of the heart as well as the head, then we need a human way to practice it gently, courageously, and together.

Over time, it will grow into something larger with essays, reflections, conversations, and helpful tools. Today, we begin with the first initiative, Seven for Democracy.

7 for Democracy is a simple, person-to-person effort aimed at strengthening participation in the 2026 elections by creating small ripples of civic courage in our personal circles—not through arguments, but through relationships.

It’s built on three actions anyone can take — I call them the Three Ripples:

VOTE
Request, complete, and return your ballot — and help one friend do the same.

GIVE
Offer $7 or 7 minutes to support civic participation — a nonpartisan group, a youth-led effort, or a neighbor who needs help registering.

INVITE
Ask seven people you know to join you in doing the same. Not to agree with you. Just to participate.

Seven invitations, $7, or 7 minutes of your time = creating change, one small ripple at a time.

This is not a political campaign.

It is a human campaign—something ordinary people can do to keep one another engaged, encouraged, and connected.

Something that reminds us that democracy is a shared practice, not a partisan identity.

Mrs. Roosevelt, you believed deeply in the quiet work of citizens—the unseen labor of people strengthening the fabric of their communities by reaching out to one another. That is the heart of this effort. And it is the beginning of what I hope Politics of Being Human will become: a gathering place for those who want to practice democracy as a form of shared humanity.

And for anyone who wants a little structure or support, I have a toolkit I’ll gladly send your way, including 2026 a list of key local and state and federal elections. Please email me for the tool kit if you’re ready to take one small step for humanity’s sake.

And so, to my readers—to you —I want to invite you into this with me.

Try the Three Ripples.

If this idea speaks to something inside you—a belief that small human acts still matter —I hope you’ll take part by reaching out to your seven. People you trust, people you care about, people who may simply need a reminder that their presence and participation still count.

Not to convince them.
Not to debate them.
Just to invite them back into the civic circle where all of us belong.

Because, as you know, democracy is only ever renewed through people—one conversation, one encouragement, one act of courage passed quietly from hand to hand.

So long for now Mrs. R. Can’t wait to hear from you. Thanks for the encouragement.

With hope,