{Author’s Note: This morning’s inbox held so many cold takes on the 47th President’s swearing-in and the auspicious symbolism of MLK Day standing alongside. The Global Compassion Coalition dared its members to imagine an inaugural address they would like to give or to hear. In that spirit, I wove this for us.}

My first 100 days will be spent…

The first thing that each of us must do upon waking tomorrow morning is acknowledge the truth that every person was born into this world with a spirit and a vulnerability that deserves respect and kindness.

While it is true that our intelligence tells us that not everyone we deal with is acting in good faith, we can promise ourselves to have good intentions toward all others. Persistent controversies over how to govern this unwieldy union will always be with us. Every year, whoever is President and however the courts are leaning, there are small towns and glittering metropolises depending on the ability of men and women in office and near the circles of power to subdue their egos, and debate humbly and thoroughly matters such as health care, employment, civil rights, gun proliferation, infrastructure, and so many other matters.

When I am tempted to bitterness over the shrill divisions between partisans, I stop and recall an answer my crotchety godmother gave to a fellow student back in 1914. One of them was a Catholic and one was a Protestant. The prejudice in their own cultures against the other stood ready to prevent a friendship. But Libby questioned Mamie and the two discovered that they both said The Lord’s Prayer.

Cutting through gratuitous complication, she exclaimed, “We believe the same thing!”

A lasting friendship was struck.

Despite the adrenaline and excitement of feeling sure of our opinions, we can discover a more noble way to think and be, both in our families and in public life. If by listening to the concerns of our adversary, we are able to find common ground, then truly we will have something to boast of. Multiply this by the many millions of us, and what a country we will give to the twenty-second century.

In a democracy, we are not promised a rose garden. We exist side-by-side with those who have more or less than us; we create lives that move across each others work views and must step carefully. My first 100 days will be spent including the concerns of the party which did not win and learning anew how to appreciate some common ground between those in my party and those in the other party.

Lastly, my wish for all Americans today is that you find joy and meaning beyond politics, beyond the personalities of politicians, and express your life freely in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

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