Jim Baker, former general counsel of the FBI, writes:

Politically, the current approach, anger and hatred, isn’t working for President Trump’s opponents: The president’s poll numbers have remained roughly constant over time. Some 90 percent of Republicans apparently support him. Morally, those who view the president as crass, hateful and demeaning do themselves and the country no favors by exhibiting such behavior to any degree in their own words or deeds.

The evidence suggests a new approach is needed. I propose a path of love.

Now, I confess that I do not know exactly what that means—not even for me. I am still trying to figure that out, so I can’t begin to say what it might mean for someone else.

But here are a few things I think about love as the driving force of our civic life. Loving someone with whom you disagree or whom you do not admire holds the potential for transforming that person for the better. But even if it appears to have no effect on the other person, loving transforms and frees the person who loves. It allows one to set down the exhausting weight of hatred, anger and disappointment. It is a proactive act. It means taking control of the situation. The reaction of President Trump and his supporters to love is inconsequential. By loving them—whether they accept, or reject, or mock the sentiment—the president’s opponents can move toward an agenda that they set, hopefully one that seeks to unite and serve all Americans. The Dalai Lama says that “[w]orld peace can only be based on inner peace. If we ask what destroys our inner peace, it’s not weapons and external threats, but our own inner flaws like anger. This is one of the reasons why love and compassion are important, because they strengthen us. This is a source of hope.” [Continue reading…]