I recently encountered someone on social media blaming division among Democrats for Trump's Presidential victory. This assumed that Trump is the problem. Trump is not the problem, he's merely a symptom of a larger problem.

We suck at spotting liars, me included. However, I've learned a couple important ways we can protect ourselves from being deceived by fake friends and fake leaders. Hope this helps!

I reflect on the killing of Charlie Kirk—not to debate his politics, but to examine our reactions. Why do so many of us feel selective empathy, dismissing the pain of others? From my own conflicted response to the larger tribalism shaping our society, I explore how moments like this force us to ask: Who are we, and who do we want to become?

My family suffered under Stalin and Hitler. As horrific as these experiences were, they helped me to understand this difficult political time in the US. They may even help us to make America great again.

Have you noticed lately how everyone sees themselves as a victim? Are we really all victims? What if we actually had the power to make things better? What would that world look like? And how can we get from here to there?

We rarely discuss what makes us American. Most nations are unified by a shared race, ethnicity and sometimes even a faith. That’s not true for America. So what is it that unites us? Or are we doomed to be eternally divided? Can this only be solved by revolution? Or is there another way? While I’ll be sharing my thoughts, I hope this sparks a larger conversation.

I instantly connected to Trump’s warning about the US becoming a shithole country. Since my father immigrated to the US from Syria, I know a thing or two about shithole countries. Turns out there’s something we all can, and should, be doing to avoid this terrible fate. Hope this helps ; )

Conspiracy thinking gives us a sense of control in a confusing world. Unfortunately in our careers, this thinking robs us of the autonomy and agency we need to improve our lives.

We all have a basic need for purpose. If we aren’t aware of this, or if we’re afraid, or if we cave to others’ expectations of us, we lose our life’s purpose. The good news is we can reclaim our sense of joy and fulfillment by identifying our purpose.

Listening to Friday sermons at my local Mosque, I encountered a glitch in our human programming. Something that was preventing our religious leaders from properly guiding us. Then I realized it wasn’t just Muslims, but American society as a whole that’s fallen into this trap, this logical glitch. Fortunately, if we can address it, there’s potential to heal our increasingly contentious society.