Community Letter: COVID, Vaccines, and the Middle Path

Hello Commune Community,

I want to express my profound gratitude for the many emails I received regarding my recent podcast interviews with Dr. Stacey Klutts and Dr. Zach Bush. It is tricky to hold space for a multiplicity of viewpoints — particularly related to a topic like COVID that elicits such strong opinions and passions.

However, media platforms seem increasingly prone to amplify solely one position or another, further stratifying an already polarized society. My goal here is to foster thoughtful conversations across the ideas marketplace such that people can make well-informed decisions for themselves, their families and their communities. Of course, I have my own opinions based on my own rigorous study, but they are as multi-layered and nuanced as the topic itself. A willingness to be wrong is not only a key to personal growth but also a linchpin of a healthy community.

This ambition to platform people as diverse as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Jonathan Berman does not come without risks. The middle path can be a lonely one. Platforms must often ostracize to galvanize. But my vision for Commune is not a tribal one. Instead, it’s a dynamic one where, through conversation, the best ideas cream to the top.

If while listening to the Commune podcast or reading a Commusings article you feel triggered by an opinion contrary to your own, take a deep breath and try to focus on the common needs that undergird all of our political and philosophical positions. Ultimately, we are all on this human path together — seeking to love and be loved, to speak and be heard, and to live purpose-filled, meaningful lives. You don't have to change your opinion, but can you also listen for shared understanding as much as for what separates us?

Feel free to email me at [email protected] or follow my exhortations on IG @jeffkrasno.

In love, include me,
Jeff