I’m a proud pragmatist even though I’m an idealist at heart.
I’m a centrist and yet I passionately believe in most liberal causes.
And as much as I want to see sweeping change, I approach my daily life as an incrementalist.
To me, pragmatism, centrism and incrementalism are where the action is. This is not a theoretical point of view; it’s borne of experience. And my experience tells me that getting hard things done requires rolling up your sleeves and working with the world as it really is, not as you think it should be. It demands compromise to accommodate the beliefs of others even if you see things from an opposite perspective. And the best way forward is usually taking small steps consistently and repeatedly over time instead of swinging for the fences.
A pragmatist doesn’t oversimplify things or paint the world as black and white. If there’s a problem that needs to be dealt with, it’s not unnecessarily exaggerated or confused for total failure, but rather seen as an opportunity to improve something that’s not working as it should. Taking an extreme position to battle another extreme position oftentimes results in zero progress, and progress is the focus of the pragmatist. A pragmatist can gauge the probability of success of a proposed solution and knows that it’s better to get a small win than to get nothing.
A centrist finds value in both sides of an argument, even if they lean strongly in one direction, and respects the views of others. A centrist works to find a sweet spot where compromise can take place, and knows that compromise can result in meaningful and lasting change because it factors in the diverse thoughts and feelings of others, and gets support from groups that might typically disagree. Getting buy-in is so important when trying to solve big, complex problems because it can take a long time to successfully implement a solution and work out all the bugs. Buy-in brings patience and a willingness to stick to the agreed upon plan for the long haul. Centrism acknowledges that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and uses that as the foundation from which to build a culture of respect and trust through open and transparent communication, even when people don’t see eye to eye.
An incrementalist believes that small steps forward can add up over time towards critical mass, ultimately creating huge and lasting change. This is the underlying premise. But it goes further than that: an incrementalist also knows that sometimes all that’s needed is a small change to fix a big issue. And sometimes you only need to take one step forward to build the momentum required to travel a long distance.
This is not to say that there aren’t issues that require uncompromising positions. You don’t take small steps to fix Nazism; you fight it with all your might and you bring it down with urgency. You can’t take a centrist view there. You have to recognize that the underlying philosophy simply doesn't respect humanity and you need to put another system in place. There are lots of issues like this, big and small, that need to be rectified here and now, full stop.
The political and ideological tension out there is extreme. It’s certainly more intense than it’s ever been in my lifetime. But I still deeply believe that all Americans generally want the same thing, and that there’s broad philosophical agreement beneath the surface. It’s kind of simple: Americans want freedom and equality, and they want access to the same opportunities as everyone else to live meaningful lives and to provide for their families.
To me, this American ideal is still as sound and beautiful as it ever was. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness have always been our aim. But there’s an extremely complex balancing act that needs to be achieved between freedom and equality to make it all work.
The recent American reality has been challenging to say the least. It’s rife with greed and abuses of power. Racism, sexism and many other forms of discrimination are still prevalent, and slavery is a stain that will never wash away. But in spite of this, the American ideal is still relevant and continues to be worth fighting for and striving towards.
In my view, we’ve come so far and have made so much progress throughout history. This gives me hope that together we can solve the many challenges that still exist today.
That’s why I’m such a believer in pragmatism, centrism and incrementalism. Because I truly believe in the American ideal, and I know in my heart that it can serve us well if we respect and celebrate the diversity of who we are. So let’s work together and keep taking steps forward to improve the lives of all.