If I Had a Hammer
A Tribute to Civility, Braver Angels, and Peter Yarrow
Are you discouraged by events in our country and the world? Does consuming the news bring you down and leave you wanting to shut it off? Have you experienced unpleasant incidents and unkind behavior that affect your daily morale – such as drivers riding your bumper or giving disparaging gestures?
Have your relationships with friends or family been negatively affected by politics? Do you feel helpless to do anything about it?
I sure feel that way some of the time. But, through my involvement with Braver Angels, I have developed specific skills and ideas to make a difference when there are difficult interactions about politics or other topics. These concepts and more are part of our upcoming book Beyond the Politics of Contempt: Practical Steps to Build Positive Relationships in Divided Times that will be published this summer.
What brought me to writing this book?
I recall an unpleasant 2017 conversation at an outdoor community concert where I set up my lawn chair near a couple I had known for many years. One of them had served (like me) as a state legislator. As you might expect, the conversation quickly turned to politics. Sadly, it quickly became a bit nasty as we expressed how we had voted in the 2016 presidential election with brusque comments back and forth. Neither of us convinced the other, and I remember being upset and dissatisfied by that conversation, thinking it had been a lose-lose situation. I left that evening disappointed in myself and vowing to do better.
I was introduced to Braver Angels by folksinger Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary fame. I first met Peter in Ukraine in 2010 when I was Peace Corps country director there. Peace Corps Volunteers had invited Peter to come share about his nonprofit Operation Respect that promotes anti-bullying in schools using music -- including an incredibly powerful song titled “Don’t Laugh at Me.” I never sang that one in public, but did go on stage to join Peter for “If I Had a Hammer,” including the memorable words “I’d sing out love between my brothers and my sisters all over this land.”
In November 2019, I reconnected with Peter at the Lebanon NH Opera House after his concert with long-time partner Noel Paul Stookey. After a big hug, Peter told me about Braver Angels, the national citizens movement that brings Americans together to bridge the partisan divide. Peter had helped support the first workshops of this organization that had initially been called Better Angels. Given my concerns about our country, this turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. I have been active in Braver Angels ever since, including organizing workshops in the NH state legislature where I once served. Five years after my initial involvement, I decided to up my game further and began writing our book.
In late 2024, as the end was near for Peter, some of us were asked to post tributes and I wrote to him about these events and shared a photo of the two of us on stage back in 2010. On January 7, 2025, as I was editing the book, I was sad to learn about the death of my friend at age 86. Thank you, Peter!
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