This I Believe...

For moral clarity in these troubling times, I've developed a personal creed to help guide my actions and reactions.

Bluebird weathering the storm

What started as snow soon turned to ice, then a mix of freezing rain and sleet, and finally just rain. We watched from our front window as numerous branches snapped off our neighbor’s two giant pine trees, careened to the ground, and blocked the road in front of our house. And then, the power went out.

Earlier, in anticipation of the storm, my wife had set up a portable heater and a small lithium power station and moved some food from our refrigerator into a cooler. After the power went out, she made us cups of tea on our propane camp stove.

Later that afternoon, we packed up our computers and went to a friend’s house to use their internet, where they kindly shared their heat and dinner of beef tips, mashed potatoes, corn, and broccoli. And then, that night, before cuddling into our bed covered in multiple layers of down and fleece, we drove a couple of miles to our gym, where we luxuriated in a whirlpool and then sweated out any remaining chill in a sauna. By the time we returned home, I was so warm and relaxed that I fell asleep long before my usual bedtime.

Although we don’t have a whole house generator like some of our friends and family, this storm proved that we’re pretty well situated for a power outage. It doesn’t mean we don’t get cold, but we have resources to stay warm when we need to use them.

In the whirlpool at the gym, I said a prayer of thanks to the Universe for the comforts we have at our disposal. I was feeling very blessed. And then I immediately felt a pang of guilt. You guessed it, for those same comforts. I turned my thoughts to people suffering from the power outage who couldn’t afford portable heaters or power stations or camp stoves, who don’t have cars and gym memberships to give them a reprieve from the cold, who instead bundle hungry children in blankets inside drafty rooms with thin walls.

When a friend mentioned a recent Detroit news story about two children who likely froze to death in van where they were living with their mom, grandmother, and three other children, the guilt resurfaced, but this time, it was wrapped in anger. In the wealthiest country in the world, how do we let children die from hypothermia because they don’t have a warm place to stay? How does this happen?

I’m sure it’s not news to you that we’re in a time where morals and ethics are being assaulted at every turn. We’re being told what’s right and wrong by people who have no moral center, driven by selfish interests and greed. In just one example, the destruction of USAID has real implications for people around the world who are suffering needlessly and might even die because of the abrupt termination of aid. This was not a financial decision—it was and is a moral and ethical one.

You can, of course, argue that the United States has no business providing such aid, that it’s too expensive, that it doesn’t serve US interests. Those are political decisions that can be debated among our elected leaders and funding can be increased or decreased based on the results of those debates. This, however, doesn’t diminish the moral responsibility we have as individuals and the ethical responsibilities we have as a country to fulfill the commitments we’ve made to provide this aid.

Sudan, as one dire example, is embroiled in a civil war where even food has become a weapon in the struggle. Can you image living in a country where, according to CBS News, more than half of the population is starving? Twenty-five million people! That’s more than the combined population of Virginia, Washington, and Arizona. Twenty-five million people are starving—in one country alone! And of those, 3.2 million are children under the age of five.

Without humanitarian aid—food and medical care—millions are literally starving to death. Much of the aid they have historically received has come from USAID.

In the blink of an eye (or should I say the click of a keystroke) that aid has been cut off. Tens of thousands of Sudanese people who lined up to receive food assistance last week, as they have done every day through the war, were told there would be no food. No food for themselves. No food for their elders. No food for their children. NO FOOD!

It doesn’t matter that our newly appointed Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, exempted food aid from the order after the fact or that our courts have begun to intervene, the damage has already been done—distribution systems broken, food rotting in storehouses, personnel fired.

In order to have the moral clarity I need going forward in these dark times, I feel increasing pressure to revisit the morals I live by, so I can speak out, not just in reaction mode, but from a moral center. That’s why I decided to write my personal creed and why I’m sharing it with you today. I encourage you to do the same (see the resource linked at the end of this letter).

This I believe.

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Personal Creed

A Power Greater Than Myself

I believe that all beings on the Earth—animals, insects, birds, fish, and plants—are connected, that there’s a power that none of us understands that binds us together. This mystery might one day be explained through science, but whether we understand it or not, it is our primary responsibility as human beings to, above all, love and protect one another, other organisms, and the environment in which we live.

Human Rights

I believe that every human is entitled to the necessities of life, including nutritious food, medical care, housing, public education, and a way to make a living. If a person is unable, due to disability, capacity, or economic conditions, to earn enough to provide these things for themselves and their families, they should be provided for them until and unless their circumstances change. At a minimum, no person should go hungry or unhoused.

Bodily Autonomy

I believe that every human being has the right to control their own body. No one else, including medical professionals or governments, should make decisions about a person’s body through coercion or force or without consent. This includes choices about medical treatment, end of life care, reproduction, and gender and identity autonomy.

Parents or guardians must keep minor children and vulnerable adults as safe as possible and support their bodily autonomy until they can make their own decisions.

Non-Violence and Peace

I believe that true strength is found not in force, but in compassion. I believe that the opposite of violence is not peace but justice. Violence—whether in word, action, or silence—diminishes our shared humanity, while justice, when rooted in love, can dismantle even the deepest hatred. I believe that non-violence is not passive, but the most courageous act of resistance. I believe that dishonesty is an act of violence, and that peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of dignity and respect for all.

Diversity & Pluralism

I believe that diversity is our strength—that by sharing our customs, traditions, beliefs, and identities we develop a deeper understanding of each other and ourselves, thereby creating a better, stronger, and more peaceful world for all. Everyone should be treated equitably and should not be discriminated against based on immutable characteristics or personal beliefs. Welcoming people who are different from me is essential to honoring the humanity of all.

Happiness

I believe that the freedom to be happy and joyful should be protected by ensuring that basic needs are met so that every individual can pursue happiness.

Gratitude

I believe in the power of gratitude as a force of positive change. Expressing gratitude helps the recipients feel valued and respected and can inspire them to pass kindness forward in their relationships and communities. My gratitude practice helps me maintain a sense of abundance even in challenging times and a focus on progress rather than despair.

Generosity

I believe that it is my personal obligation and our communal responsibility as a nation to be as generous as possible with time and treasure to build strong communities and societies while deepening relationships and sharing the abundance of this planet. When each of us is strong, all of us are strong.

Hope

I believe in hope—not as blind optimism, but as a commitment to work toward what is right. Hope is a driving force that opens doors to a brighter future. Without hope, we lose desire, ambition, and motivation to make the world a better place. With it, we can bring love and compassion to even the darkest hearts. (For more about my thoughts about hope, read my Thirty Days of Hope.)

This I believe.

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I hopeful that by reminding myself of what I believe I’ll feel emboldened to oppose immoral and unethical actions by our government, businesses, and other institutions that aren’t grounded in love. For each of you who took the time to read this, I am grateful, and I invite you to hold me accountable to it.

It’s not enough to say we oppose a policy choice, that we disagree with an executive action, or that we our outraged by a decision. The time has come to challenge everyone who purports to have a moral code to oppose inhumane pronouncements and actions. To do that, we have to distinguish moral decisions from political ones.

If you’d like to join me in clarifying the moral truths that guide your actions and responses to the times we’re facing, this document can help you write your own personal creed. Please share it in the comments when you do.

Perhaps if enough of us do this, we can build a movement to demand that morals and ethics drive every decision that impacts any one of us.

In hope and love,

Annette

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