It now feels like an odd assurance to have had to make, since the attack happened hundreds of miles away, but that day it seemed as if we all had to … - Pete Buttigieg

Our ability to trust in institutions and in one another — the ability to trust that we are subject to the same facts, even living in the same reality — is now endangered. A combination of causes has brought us to this point, a crisis of trust that has the potential to be paralyzing.

Addressing this question - of how to create or enhance a sense of belonging within as diverse a group as the American electorate or, even more broadly, the American people - is central to our chances of building greater trust in our country.

For those who remember if not mourn an epoch of lost greatness, it may be impossible to accept that there is no return. But for those of us who were raised only among its shards, and who grew up questioning if it was ever as great as advertised, embracing the permanence of change is the only thing that can liberate us to move forward.