Articles by Debilyn Molineaux

In the midst of a pandemic with social and political unrest, a violent effort to intimidate Congress and threats of violence at state capitals, I keep thinking about new beginnings. New beginnings often require a death to occur first. It may be the death of an idea from which a new innovation emerges. It may be the death of winter, as the earth sits fallow, waiting for spring. It may be the death of a family matriarch and the beginning of our role as the elder. Or it may be the death of flawed...

In the midst of a pandemic with social and political unrest, a violent effort to intimidate Congress and threats of violence at state capitals, I keep thinking about new beginnings....

Editor's Note: This op-ed originally appeared in The Fulcrum and has been republished with permission from the publisher. This is a call to people who love our country more than they hate their political opponents. It is our duty and our honor to put country before party. Voting in the usual manner this November will likely be difficult because of the coronavirus. As a result, many people are voicing concerns about the integrity of the presidential election. There is a huge amount of spin and ...

We are having a big argument within the country -- about culture and norms. But mostly about power. I’m intimately familiar with power struggles, changing cultures and norms. I grew up between two worlds and two families. My weekday family with my step-father was a “his way or else” culture -- he had the power. My weekend family had boundaries to provide structure, and supported creativity--we played Monopoly by different rules so no one would lose. I had two families, two sets of norms and two...

First, let me apologize. I don’t really think you are stupid. I was competing for your attention with an oxymoron. And also to demonstrate how easy it is to get attention by using denigrating language. Something titled “Dignity Is the Answer” would not interest as many people. Yet I know the world would be improved if dignity were our basis for living. When dignity is present, all things are possible. Dignity is the right of a person to be valued and respected for their own sake, and to be tre...

What do you think about the state of our country today? And what is your opinion about our society?  These are things I think about every day. I think our country is at risk—slipping out of our representative democracy that is formally called a republic and informally called a democracy. And my opinion about our society is that we blame problems on “those people” too much and don't have enough collaborative problem solving. And the result of this societal game of “victim, victim, who’s the big...

We human beings have an intense -- an inherent -- need to belong to a group. In our “cave days,” it was important for the survival of our species to be connected and work together. As we've evolved, physically, emotionally and societally, belonging has been equally important to our survival. Our community provides acceptance, support, and values. It’s the “something bigger than ourselves” that provides meaning to our lives. Belonging and connection means having a sense of purpose, which allow...

I seek and thrive on hope. But currently, I see chaos throughout our society, at every level. This leaves me feeling anxious and fearful. Have you felt this as well? Or are you more optimistic? Recently, I’ve started to ask myself -- what if there is a larger pattern or story that we have yet to see? My belief that we are in a time of chaos is based on these assumptions: * Authoritarianism is on the rise globally, partially in response to perceived chaos due to rising economic inequality, ma...

Collectively, there are thousands of organizations and funders already working to improve our country. So why does our country appear to be a mess? The weakest part of our country is our willingness to live in a narrative/news stream that confirms our own bias and demonizes others. We could make our collective work exponentially more effective by fostering strong relationships among people of different viewpoints. Our current frayed social fabric is the result of “winner take all” politics, pa...