A Perfectly Imperfect Union: Reflecting on America 250 with David W. Robinson-Morris, PhD

<p> Hey there, it's Michael. Welcome to Whole Again, the show that's here in support of you creating a meaningful life and the person you're becoming. And I'm excited to share a new series with you that will air this summer as America turns 250 years old, which is still pretty young relative to many other countries across this big blue marble that we all share.</p>
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<p>The series is called A Perfectly Imperfect Union. In 2022, I rode my bike across America from Astoria, Oregon to the Lincoln Memorial. My wife drove our RV and she had two co-pilots, Jester and Hope, two springer spaniels And when we did it, America was coming out of the pandemic, and we were hurting.</p>
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<p>Hurting from things that had happened prior to the pandemic. Of course, going through what we all went through. And at that time, and this is something I still believe today, is that we were entering an inflection point. An inflection point for us to hopefully pause, breathe, and reflect on who we wish to become as individuals, as communities, and as a country.</p>
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<p>As I pedaled across America, I wanted to share America's beauty with others, her natural beauty and the beauty of her people. And I also wanted to share where we were hurting As America turns 250, I believe Kintsugi, which is something we use as a metaphor here at Whole Again, is a perfect metaphor for where we are as a country.</p>
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<p>There's so much beauty to celebrate, and we can also acknowledge that parts of us feel broken or are broken. But we can find a way to come back together, just like Kintsugi teaches us. And when we do, we don't try to erase or cover up where we have scars or blemishes. We highlight them in gold, and we celebrate them as symbols of our strength and resilience.</p>
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<p>Kintsugi is called the golden repair, and in essence, we can see beauty in something that's perfectly imperfect. During this series, I plan to speak to at least two people in each state and the District of Columbia, so 102 conversations with real folk, as I like to say. We're gonna let the celebrities and the big influencers have their day somewhere else, but here I wanna reach out and talk to real people and listen to their reflections as they think about America turning 250 years old.</p>
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<p>And my hope is, is that you'll tune in to at least one, if not all 102, 'cause my theory going into this is that you'll hear different perspectives. Some may be aligned with yours, others may not. But my hope is that you hear the goodness in your fellow citizens and realize, as Maya Angelou shared with us, "We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike."</p>
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<p>We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike. I've had the privilege of traveling all over the world and all over this country, and this belief is something that I hold deep inside of me. So yes, I do believe that we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike. So if you're ready to get to know one of your fellow neighbors who is perfectly imperfect like all of us, take a healthy breath in and a slow releasing breath out and get to know David Robinson Morris.</p>
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<p>David, so great to see you, even though our videos are off, and, and for you to join me here on A Perfectly Imperfect Union. How the heck are you today? </p>
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<p>I am well. I am well. I, I am, um... It is a, a nice balmy day here in, in New Orleans, and it is, all is well. All is well. Thank you. Thank you for having me. </p>
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<p>Yeah, no, thanks for accepting my random outreach.</p>
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<p>And I'll point out to the listeners, I only publish the audio, but usually we do the interviews on video so we can see each other and react to one another. But today, we turned the videos off to save some bandwidth because you have a tropical storm coming to Louisiana, a summertime activity filled with probably rain and humidity.</p>
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<p>So I really appreciate your flexibility and, like, going, going with the flow. So, uh, I know a bit about you from my homework, but others may not know who you are. C- so can you take a moment to, uh, share who you are? And you've already stated you're from, you're calling in from Louisiana. So I've been asking people, if you've never been to the state of Louisiana, or maybe New Orleans specifically, what's something that's really cool about the state that people might not know about?</p>
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<p>Uh, you know, the, the, that's always a stumper, right? Um, i- again, I'm David. I'm from, uh, originally from Galveston, Texas. Live, have lived in New Orleans for the last 20-plus years. Uh, came here for college and never left. Uh, I am, uh, the owner of a business called The Reimagination, um, the founder of a center, the Center for the Human Spirit and Radical Reimagining.</p>
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<p>Um, I like to think myself a scholar and a strategist and an educator. Uh, I'm an author. Um, and I'm really committed to helping people and institutions, um, imagine more just and humane futures. Uh, so, uh, I spend a lot of my time dwelling in the imagination. </p>
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<p>I love it. I love the imagination, the curiosity, and we share a love for Maya Angelou, and just, you have a couple references of her work in your, in your work.</p>
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<p>So I, I simply love it. So is there something cool about Louisiana that you would wanna share? You know, m- m- many people probably know New Orleans. Um- Yeah ... but this is a big country, and people haven't been to every state. </p>
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<p>Yeah. You know, L- Louisiana, the sportsman's paradise, right, is, is the, the state's motto.</p>
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<p>Right. Um, so there's, there's lots to do from fishing to hunting to anything you would like to do in terms of sportsmanship. Um, Louisiana, you know, the, the curious thing about Louisiana is that, um, the, the c- the state as a whole refuses to separate- Suffering from celebration </p>
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<p>Okay </p>
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<p>Um, there is, there's a history here, a culture here, a spirituality here, a community here, um, that has woven together all these ways of being.</p>
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<p>You know, we, we've existed before America was America. Uh, and all of that remains here with us, those cultural ways of being. Um, and it really helps us to remember that survival can also be beautiful, right? That's Louisiana. </p>
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<p>Yeah. That's so cool. I love that. I love that, I love that phrase. That's so, that's so awesome.</p>
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<p>Thanks for sharing that. So I've been asking people if you've gathered around the picnic table this summer or maybe this fall, and people ask you, "Hey, David, what does America mean to you?" How do you respond to their question? </p>
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<p>Hmm. You know, America, America means the realization of an idea that might never be fulfilled.</p>
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<p>It, it's a paradox. America is a paradox, uh, of, uh, promise, uh, and promise not yet fulfilled, right? It's a, it's a nation that's still becoming, um, and a nation that might never fully arrive. And- Yeah ... um, what I would tell people is that I love- </p>
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<p>We have some </p>
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<p>doubts from time to time, right? That's right. That's right.</p>
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<p>Um, we, uh, we're full of doubt, but we're also full of hope, right? Because again, this, this notion of, of living into an idea Um, take some imagination, and hope is just the imagination in a, in a generative direction, right? Um, and so I, I-- what I would tell people is that, uh, I love the country. Um, I love the country not because of, um, it, it-- not because it's fulfilled its ideals, right?</p>
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<p>But because generation after generation, um, we have dared to call it closer to its highest aspirations. Uh, and that, that is the beauty of America. </p>
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<p>Yeah. I love it. Love it. So with this country, every family has a story about, you know, a, a lot of times it's, it's an immigration story. Uh, sometimes it's a story of, for families that have been on this land well before it was known as America.</p>
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<p>And we also have stories about this land and this country of people who were forced here through slavery and, uh, trafficking and other means. So it's complex and far-ranging, our stories of this country. Do you know much, David, about your family's history with, uh, this land that we now call America? </p>
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<p>Sure.</p>
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<p>Yes. I, I can trace, uh, the family back to the 1870 census, is as far back as I can go. Uh, of course, I'm a Black, Black American, uh, and in 1870, my fourth, fifth or sixth great-grandparents were 88 years old in the census, um, living in Bayou Goula, Louisiana And so they, they were enslaved people, um, like many Black American families, um, on, on this land and had been here for generations.</p>
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<p>Um, their birthplaces were in the Carolinas and Virginia. Uh, and so who knows how long, um, my lineage has been on this land. Um, but it comes out of a, out of a tradition of enslavement, uh, and of people who resisted being slaves even though they were enslaved, um, and a tradition of helping to build this country while being denied the promise of the country.</p>
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<p>Um, and when I think about them, I, I think about, um, I think about the gen- my generation and the generations that came after them, um, as being faith made flesh, right? It took perseverance to, to live and survive through the harsh realities of enslavement for generations, right? Um, and so it's a real reminder that, that hope, that prophetic hope is never naive, um, and that it's an act of resistance and faith.</p>
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<p>And that is, that is my family's story on this land, I think. </p>
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<p>Thanks for sharing that, David. I appreciate it. So I, I love the, the themes of hope that are coming up in our conversations because, you know, with hope there's, there must be action. </p>
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<p>Mm-hmm. </p>
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<p>You know, d- despite the odds, you know, you... I think you ma- you made a reference to, like, generative action- Mm-hmm</p>
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<p>that's tied to hope. Yes. And, and you know, going through, uh, very difficult times, times and, or situations that others might not ever be able to imagine, you know, to have that hope to take that next step forward. So yeah, thanks for sharing a little bit of your, your family's history. So, um, uh, are, are there times where you Truly feel, 'cause we talk about how disconnected we feel in this, in this moment as America turns, uh, or sorry, turned 250.</p>
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<p>But are there moments where you feel connected with your fellow citizens, your, uh, metaphorically speaking, neighbors, or maybe your literal, literal neighbors when, when you might not agree with them? Uh, you might have a different perspective because of different lived experiences. So are there times where you do feel that connection?</p>
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<p>Yeah, of course. Yeah. Yeah. You know, un- unfortunately, they are always in moments of pain. Um- Yeah ... and, and maybe that's human condition, right? Um- </p>
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<p>Sure. Yeah ... </p>
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<p>that we, we do not learn through joy, rather we learn through pain, right? Uh, most humans learn through suffering, unfortunately. And, um, as a people, we do a very good job of coming together around disaster Um- </p>
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<p>Yeah, in crisis</p>
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<p>in crisis, right? Um, to care for one another, to care for our neighbors, to care for the communities we find ourselves in. Um, now unfortunately we go back to our, our corners when that's over. Um, um- </p>
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<p>Sure ... </p>
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<p>and, and n- I would not wanna live in a constant state of crisis, uh, although we might be living in a constant state of crisis currently.</p>
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<p>Um- </p>
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<p>Yeah. </p>
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<p>You know, it, it's, it's in those moments, I think, um, where our shared humanity becomes more important than our ideological differences, and that's, that's what they are, they're ideological differences. Um, and that our, our care and wellbeing for one another in moments of crisis supersede the need to be ideologically different.</p>
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<p>Yeah. And ideologically correct or right. </p>
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<p>Mm-hmm. </p>
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<p>Like we give up, we give up that addiction that so many people have, it might be our greatest addiction, the addiction to being right, you know, to, to soothe the ego. We, we ease our grip on that to help our fellow citizens in, in very difficult times, times of pain and suffering, times of crisis, as you, as we've talked about.</p>
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<p>So, so speaking of pain and suffering, one of the things I use, or the thing I use as a metaphor for this series and overall for my podcast, is the Japanese art form of Kintsugi, where pottery breaks and it's put back together, and instead of hiding the fault lines or the cracks, they're dusted with gold and it becomes the golden repair.</p>
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<p>So we- we're, we're out in front and saying, "Hey, we've been through something, baby, and, uh, we're not gonna hide from it. We're gonna actually celebrate, um, y- what, what we've gone through and the fact that we've come together and, and healed, and we can grow from that." So in that spirit, when you look at w- what's current for us as a country and this sense of being divided, is there one thing you would like to work on to help us come together, to help us unite or heal or, or even grow?</p>
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<p>It may not be a perfect first step, but it's a meaningful s- first step. Um, what would that be for you? </p>
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<p>Yeah, I think, uh, the answer is simple, but, but difficult, right? Um- </p>
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<p>As, as many of a... as many solutions are, right? </p>
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<p>Right. Um, and it would be our... We would need to repair our inability to truly see one another's humanity.</p>
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<p>Um- You know, too often we just talked about this with the ideological differences and needing to be right, right? Too often we're reduced-- we've reduced people to categories or parties or fears that we've projected onto, uh, the other. Um, democracy, the idea of democracy, the practice of democracy, of our associated living together, as John Dewey says, um, depends not just on agreement, uh, but on the discipline of recognizing each person's inherent human-humanity and dignity.</p>
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<p>Um, and I think we have, we have so much work to do there, um, primarily because That is baked into the founding of the country, this inability to recognize another's humanity. Um, and so there has to be, um... We have to have an exorcism of sort, of sorts. I hate to use that term- Yes. ... um, of, of that sort of founding issue that has been baked into the idea of America since the beginning.</p>
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<p>I appreciate what you're sharing because o- others have brought this up. You, you mentioned-- You used the word an exorcism, but w- how people have described it is to say, "Hey, listen, we have a past." </p>
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<p>Mm-hmm. </p>
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<p>And part of our past is not pretty. Yes. And even the founding structure of, um, all men are created equal, well, not really, and, you know, only men, only white men with property- Right</p>
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<p>and everyone else is like, well, like, not so equal, right? Right. And so to that point, we're not even seeing the humanity in others. Like, there's, like, a, a status, uh, tied to it, the color of your skin, whether or not you own property, and so then it makes it even harder, not impossible, harder to see each other's story within our own story.</p>
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<p>And I l- yeah, I love that you, you brought this up, just the ability to be like, "Hey, I see you," right? And we so... That's what, that's what we, I think, all want as creatures, like, is to be heard and to be seen and to be loved. Yes. And, um, it starts with, uh, seeing each other. So, uh, we'll wrap up here, um, with a question from the person I chatted with previously, Jerry from Colorado.</p>
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<p>He has, like, one foot in New York, in Brooklyn, but now he calls Colorado home. </p>
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<p>Wow. </p>
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<p>So I will paraphrase his, um, question, and it's, it's this one. It's what do you need to give up that you love- </p>
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<p>Hmm ... </p>
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<p>in order for us to unite? </p>
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<p>Yeah. Hmm. That I love. You know, the, the, the first response that comes to mind is the-- we have to give up the idea- That we are separate.</p>
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<p>Um- </p>
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<p>Oh, yeah ... </p>
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<p>and, and I say that because I also love the American notion of rugged individualism, right? But it does not, um, it has not and does not serve us well, um, if we are trying to build a more perfect union, uh, even if it's imperfect. Um, yeah. </p>
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<p>Yeah. Thank-- That's a, a g- a great response. Um, that's a big, it's a big question because you get, we get, we, we can get tripped up or hung up on the, the, like, the word love, and there's, there are things that we cling to- </p>
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<p>Mm-hmm</p>
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<p>that help us feel safe or help us make sense of the wor- world, and in some ways, there is a form of love with that, you know. And so with, you know, Jerry's like, "How do you e- how do you ease your grip a little bit and, and give up something in order for us to take a step forward, albeit perhaps imperfectly?"</p>
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<p>So all right, David, so you get a chance now to ask a question of the next person I chat with in the series. Ooh. So what question would you like to an- uh, ask this person? </p>
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<p>I love questions. Okay, let me think. Um, hmm. As you imagine America in its next 50 years, what type of future would you create where everyone, everyone, uh, can truly flourish?</p>
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<p>All right. I like that. I will definitely ask that question to the next person I chat with in the series and see what they have to say, really does speak to how do we create a better tomorrow for all of us, not just some of us. </p>
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<p>Yes. </p>
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<p>Very cool. Well, Dav- David, thank you so much again for accepting my reach out and joining me here, and all the work that you're doing to help us really tap into our imagination and our curiosity so we can have a society that can help us see each other's humanity.</p>
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<p>So, uh, I appreciate the work that you're putting in, the ripple effect that you're creating, and for sharing your voice here on the series. So thank you very much. </p>
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<p>Thank you, Michael. Thank you for this conversation and all the conversations you're having across the country. This is, this is wonderful and much needed.</p>
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<p>Thank you. </p>
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<p>Oh, you're welcome.</p>
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<p>There's something simply welcoming about David. I love his energy. I love his calmness, his thoughtfulness, and his perseverance because he was getting hit with a tropical storm, so we did the interview with our videos off. And I simply love that we were able to make this connection. And I also love his question at the end.</p>
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<p>When you think about the next 50 years, what could you do to ensure that everyone could flourish? Not just some of us, but all of us. So how would you respond to David's question? Let me know in the comment section below. And as always, thanks for being here. Thank you for listening, and I hope you'll check out the rest of the series as we travel around America, speaking with everyday folks trying to figure it out and taking steps to do so on their reflections as America turns 250.</p>
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<p>I also hope you'll check out our episodes here on Whole Again. But until that time, let's remember to celebrate our scars as golden symbols of our strength and resilience. And don't forget to have fun storming the castle.</p>
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<p>And if you wish to learn more about creating beautiful ripples and how to prevent a bad moment from turning into a bad day, please visit my website, michaelobrienshift.com, and sign up for my newsletter called The Ripple Effect. And join us each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday here at Whole Again, and discover how you can heal, grow, and become more resilient, and celebrate our scars as golden symbols of strength and resilience.</p>
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<p>Until then, remember, you can always come back to your breath. You've got this, and we've got you.</p>