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Last summer, I read “Achieving Our Country” by Richard Rorty. He argued that America is an imperfect project that has never been realized. It took a mass shooting for me to understand what achieving America meant.
Right now, and in so many other times during the Trump presidency, I have seen the dwindling of the radical hope that our country can be a bastion of safety and freedom for everyone. Some people believe that it is too late: Politicians have ruined America forever. Others believe that compassion must be narrowed: Only some of us deserve these things. Both of these reactions are failures of courage.
In the midst of constant tragedy, it feels easy to give up on this ambitious and imperfect project. It is easy to turn inward to our families and niche communities and say that only the people closest to us matter.
Patriots and America-skeptics alike, I challenge you to do the opposite. As Miriam Kaba says, hope is a discipline.
The version of our country that is failing does not fully represent the American people or our dreams. We are so much more than our government. We owe it to ourselves to believe in a better future.
Simon Aron is a sophomore at Brown University and the co-president of Brown Rise Up.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/22/metro/brown-shooting-commentary-radical-hope/
