Americans are sad and lonely, and we don’t feel like we belong. With depression and “deaths of despair” on the rise, over half of us say that no one knows us well—a truly alarming statistic that doesn’t bode well for our future. As if matters weren’t bad enough, we’re not just sad and alone—we’re becoming more mean to each other, and it’s likely part of the same cycle of pain. With fewer human connections in our lives, more of us seek belonging in our venally angry civic life, so this crisis of belonging also fuels extremism for which violence is increasingly a downstream outcome

As we’re left feeling helpless watching this mass tragedy unfold, rarely do we consider what hometowns can do to build a community where everyone belongs, where we know each other and we’re kind to each other. And what if, at its core, the loneliness, bitterness, and anger is a failure of our society’s moral compass? We’ll go there: how can Tallahassee become a hometown that shows up for each other, where a moral community exists across differences in color, creed, and ideology, and where we strive to do right by each other—in the good times, but also in the bad ones?

Facilitated by the Rev. Dr. Latricia Scriven of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.

We’re not just talking here, we’re building a community where everyone belongs and we hope you’ll join in. We’ll be running small groups all year to discuss three think pieces, beginning with the David Brooks Atlantic piece that inspired this program— “How America Got Mean.” You can sign up for more information here.