Community, family, connection--all of these are beautiful aspects of the human experience. As my guest Matt articulated with this most important value, there is something so powerful about community. The ability to connect with other humans, find your tribe, form deep bonds, exhibit love and compassion for them--these are all amazing things. But in the spirit of this show, we have to explore and consider the negative sides as well. We all have a sense the world can be a better place but I strongly believe that for us to achieve it, we need to swim in the mud of some of this negativity more. 

I get it, it is much more enjoyable to focus on the positives and be optimistic. Conversations are a lot more cordial and light hearted when we focus on the beautiful aspects of life. But to create true change and to reduce some of the conflict and suffering in the world, I think we need to shine a bright light on the negatives. We need to examine them, understand them, and see what we can do to improve them. 

I couldn't think of many better people to do this with then a U.S. politician, who has seen first hand some of the negative aspects of forming communities/tribes. Matt served as a State Representative in Pennsylvania for three terms and has seen what it looks like when humans identify with a group and become dogmatic about their commitment to it, often at the expense of others. Matt is also a husband, father, author, podcaster, and former non-profit executive, who has spent years trying to find ways to better the various communities he is a part of.

This made for a perfect context to explore his value of community. Matt had a lot of great insights about how community can be valuable and enrich people's lives. But he was also very transparent about the challenges that come with it. We discussed the divisiveness in politics today around issues like gun control and abortion (or even M&M characters), the differences between building a legacy and pandering to a base, and how elusive compassion can be when you are too focused on your own community. I truly appreciate Matt for being so open throughout the discussion, it's not always easy as a politician, but it is much needed.