Returning to Civility
Veteran Bryan Jones plans to beat conservative firebrand Matt Gaetz by running as a Republian dedicated to civility. He writes about how he plans to make it work.
We find ourselves in precarious times as a nation. Over the last half decade, we’ve seen widespread protests against inequality and brutality overcome by looting and burning in our great cities. A year ago, our nation’s Capitol Building, the heart of the single greatest system of governance in human history fell, resulting in five deaths. It was a shocking chapter in our nation’s remarkable history of peaceful transfers of power. The fissures in our society leave in question our standing as the most powerful country on Earth. As our nation’s disdain for their fellow man intensifies spirited by overtly partisan news sources and career politicians pushing the rhetoric of division for personal gain, the true enemies of this nation gain strength.
It is imperative we examine how we, as American Citizens, are promoting and influencing the selfish and shortsighted politics of division and the national air of incivility. It is past time we seek to unify our citizenry against the external threats dividing us. Perhaps most critically, it is time we demand leadership who will work for all Americans in a spirit of common dedication to our unifying principles to move our nation forward.
Perhaps it’s time for us to consider not how to make the U.S.. but now to make US better in 2022. In keeping with the New Year's tradition of making resolutions to become a better version of ourselves in 2022, might we not take some time to consider a better “US”? New Year’s resolutions often require taking personal responsibility over our lives with a goal of improving ourselves and the way in which we interact with our children, our friends, families, and our communities. We’ve reached a point in America where we must also resolve to be better for people we don’t even know, people we may not agree with, but who are Americans just the same. Because we are “US.” As we contemplate these personal goals, we should demand the same of our nation’s highest elected leaders. We should demand our leaders meet standards no less than those demanded of me at the United States Air Force Academy and during a subsequent career as a pilot in Air Force Special Operations: Integrity First. Service Before Self. Excellence in All We Do.
I hear people of all stripes decry the state of the nation, of our daily interactions at places as basic as the family dinner table. Yet we not only tolerate them, we encourage these conditions by continuing to elect “leaders” who profit by the politics of division. We reward them for the same behaviors we would never accept from our family, friends or children. We are quick to change the television channel or radio station or block a “friend” or celebrity on our social media platforms if we don’t like their behavior, yet we continue to support and vote for political leaders who propagate the same actions in real life. This nation will either win together or we will fail together. It is us who will determine the outcome.
On July 4, 2022, we will celebrate the 246th year of America’s Independence, marking the official separation of the 13 original colonies from Great Britain. British author and lecturer, Sir John Blubb, in his 1978 work “The Fate of Empires and Search for Survival,” found most empires lasted for an average of 250 years, following a common pattern of demise. Blubb identified six distinct stages. They have not varied for the last 3,000 years. They are: The Age of Outburst, Age of Conquest, Age of Commerce, Age of Affluence, Age of Intellect, and The Age of Decadence. We can identify American examples of all of stages: the outburst of The American Revolution; conquests of Louisiana and Texas; an explosion of commerce during the Industrial Revolution; the affluence of the Roaring 1920s; and an educational explosion since 1960, leaving graduates questioning the value of their degrees, given the debt they assume to earn them.
"We as a society continue to encourage and promote the type of abhorrent behavior at the highest levels of our government by electing — and worse, re-electing — public officials who consistently display behaviors we would not tolerate of ourselves, our children, or our neighbors."
We find ourselves in Blubb’s final stage: The Age of Decadence. Blubb observed that the two most commonly notable themes experienced by fallen empires were those of Civil Dissension and Political Ideology. “Another remarkable and unexpected symptom of national decline is the intensification of internal political hatreds,” Blubb writes. “One would have expected that, when the survival of the nation became precarious, political factions would drop their rivalry and stand shoulder-to-shoulder to save their county.” But history proved quite the opposite to be true, that “on the contrary, internal rivalries become more acute, as the nation becomes weaker.” It is difficult to find a more applicable description of the current state of affairs in the United States.
In 1905, George Santayana famously said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” While predicting the fall of the American empire at the 250-year mark in 2026 is dubious, let us not forget there are other nations actively working towards that end. If we are to avoid repeating history, fostering a social environment of personal responsibility and demanding the same of our elected leaders is the first step. The oft retorted phrase “do as I say, not as I do” rings true, when we fail to call out the same uncivilized behaviors of our elected leaders. As confidence in each other continues to deteriorate through division, so does the strength of our nation.
To those that might suggest restoring civility is hard, you are right. But much in life worth doing is. In just over 30 years, the U.S. has gone from President Reagan’s 1989 description of America in his farewell address as the “shining city on a hill” to violent protests in our capital and the burning of our great cities. It is past time we start setting the examples ourselves of what personal responsibility and civil behavior should look like if we want to remain the “shining city on a hill” — or a city at all.
Democracy, by its nature, can be an ugly thing. Disagreements are expected. Leaders standing firm in their convictions and, more importantly, fighting for the convictions of the people they represent, are critical to ensuring positive change for the greater good. However, the everyday actions, words, and deeds of the representatives entrusted with executing that democracy, should not be the ugliest part of the process. We as a society continue to encourage and promote the type of abhorrent behavior at the highest levels of our government by electing — and worse, re-electing — public officials who consistently display behaviors we would not tolerate of ourselves, our children, or our neighbors to represent US. What will it take before we ask ourselves what kind of example we mean to set for future generations? How are we to demand adherence to civil structures by the fledgling democracies we spend billions trying to cultivate if we promote such revolting behavior?
Social media and selectively picked “news” sources encourage division by disseminating these distasteful actions to generate clicks and views, outrage, and ultimately, money. As innocuous as it may seem, the sources, actions, and people we choose to give our attentions and money, we unconsciously promote. We deserve what we tolerate. Representatives are entrusted with the sacred duty of legislating what is necessary for this nation to remain prosperous yet they continue to abdicate their civil responsibilities in favor of personal gain. Leaving the same group of elected officials, continually rewarded for abhorrent behavior, to police themselves, is akin to leaving the fox to guard the henhouse. But we are not defenseless hens. We as a nation of equal citizens have the power to hold our leaders accountable by consciously deciding to whom we lend our attention, our money, and our votes.
Fortunately, there is some glimmer of hope. While not as prevalent as one might expect, there are small pockets of this great nation waking up to the role they play in preventing the further downward spiral of divisiveness and discourse between Americans. The self-proclaimed firebrands in both parties are infernos that seek to emblazon everything they touch — not unlike the wildfires that continue to ravage this country. These officials profit by sowing the seeds of discourse that divide this nation. It is time we end their abuses of power with our votes.
With all the ugliness in our democracy, there is beauty if you look. It is still the US that decides who we entrust with the greatest responsibility this country can offer: that of public service representing our family, friends, and neighbors. Never forget you have a choice as to what you tolerate, allow, and encourage. As we seek resolutions in the New Year to hold ourselves accountable, it is time we start to hold our elected leaders accountable to the same standards we expect of ourselves.
Bryan Jones is a husband, father, and Special Operations veteran of both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, serving over the last 14 years. On Veteran’s Day 2021, he left active-duty service as a Lieutenant Colonel with a guaranteed paycheck and potential retirement to announce he is running to represent Florida’s first Congressional District in the U.S. Congress in the seat currently held by Representative Matt Gaetz. Bryan pledges to restore civility to our nation’s capital through the integrity and behaviors he expects of his children, friends and neighbors. He vows to be a representative the Panhandle of Florida and this nation will be proud of.
