The Cure for 2020 Post-Election Strife: Have a Humilitarian Holiday

humilitarian holiday

Social entrepreneur Bill Shireman encourages a new approach to divisive family gatherings

As Election 2020 gives way to the holidays, political division across the nation is straining personal relationships. Americans are wondering: How do you break bread with someone whose politics you hate? 

Some are trying a new approach to save the family gathering from falling apart before the turkey does: 

Having a humilitarian holiday.

Humilitarianism is not a political ideology. Rather, it’s a way of discussing politics and conducting  yourself as you do so — with humility, kindness, and love — especially with those on the opposite side of the aisle. It signals a commitment to interacting with political opponents in ways that nurture trust  and mutual respect, putting truth over tribe and people over partisanship.  

The creator of the humilitarian idea, author and political psychologist Robin Koerner, is known for his viral 2011 Blue Republican article in HuffPost championing principle over party. As he says, “The only legitimate ends of politics are people. It makes no sense to chastise political opponents for disrespecting or even mistreating others, and then do exactly the same to them in the ways we talk to them or about them.”  

Social entrepreneur and environmental policy innovator Bill Shireman is a humilitarian, and also a partner at In This Together, a coalition to redirect major political donations toward solutions that can unite Americans. 

“Waging partisan warfare gets us nowhere,” Shireman says. “70% of Americans are willing to set aside partisanship to reach solutions. We just need to figure out how to talk to each other, whether at the dinner table or on Capitol Hill. Humilitarians are offering a better way.”

Other self-declared humilitarians include former pro football player turned coach Jonathan Hayes, pro football exec Randy Mueller, Ms. World 2017, Meghan Buelt, and founder of the DonorSee app, Gret Glyer. 

In This Together was founded by Dallas real estate scion Trammell S. Crow and Bill Shireman, CEO of Future500, to bring together major donors to both parties, in an effort to reduce political polarization and work across partisan lines to solve problems like climate change. 

Humilitarian.us is a hub for humilitarians of all political backgrounds to identify themselves and each other, living out principles based in humility, kindness, and love to change political discourse in America. 

Share this post

AT CERAWEEK, TOP DONORS TO ANNOUNCE CAMPAIGN TO DRIVE BIPARTISAN CLIMATE SOLUTIONS

Climate protection donors from across the political spectrum are set to announce at CERA this week a new voter education campaign to unite the middle 70% of Americans behind practical and effective climate solutions. CERAWeek brings together global leaders to advance new ideas, insight and solutions to the biggest challenges facing the future of energy, the environment, and climate.

Read More »

Our Pledges

Take our pledge to reduce your single-use plastic consumption.

Join us in protecting 30% of the world’s land & oceans by 2030 

Pledge to support companies and leaders working towards Net Zero Carbon by 2050