I didn’t want to discourage anyone from voting for Biden with “The Amoral Joe Biden” and hope it didn’t burn bridges. I merely believe that if he presented his case within a more robust moral framework, it would be more effective politically — and help nurture change throughout society.

Biden never said we should support Ukraine simply because it’s the right thing to do — for ethical reasons. He could’ve said, “When we see a bully harming someone, we should intervene, whether in a school, workplace, community, or on the global stage.” Making that point would encourage people to improve their interactions in general and help build a powerful, independent grassroots movement.

I don’t judge Biden’s moral character. I don’t know his motives, and I can’t read his mind. I can only judge his actions. I called him amoral, as I might call someone a “criminal” when they break the law. We can make judgments without being judgmental.

I only know the motives of a few close friends, but I don’t trust any politician to that degree. Some politicians enter the arena because they want to do good, but most soon become focused on getting re-elected for selfish reasons.

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I read an essay from James Baldwin’s Cross of Redemption daily. I only read one because the essays are intense, and I want to absorb them before moving on.

I’ve considered inviting 100 or so Contacts to a “James Baldwin Zoom,” but none of you have commented on his 1959 essay, “Mass Culture and the Creative Artist,” which I posted two weeks ago. So, I suspect Baldwin doesn’t impact others as strongly as he does me and have placed that idea on the back burner.

However, here’s a link to another Baldwin essay, a 1962 New York Times piece, As Much Truth As One Can Bear.

After I finish Cross of Redemption, I may comment on it with an essay and share quotes and excerpts.

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I recently added the following to the opening of the Systemic chapter introduction:

Egalitarian Seeds: Holistic Reform

Numerous advocates presented in the Systemic knowledge base promote holistic reform rooted in compassion. They address the whole person and the whole society. These efforts differ; none echo each other precisely, but they share core principles and move in the same direction.

I’m adding summaries of some of these essays and books to the end of the Systemic chapter.

I’m using “holistic” rather than “holistic and systemic.” Holistic means “relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the individual parts,” so it incorporates “systemic.”