The Pursuit of Trust

In early January 2017, my cell phone continuously buzzed with notifications as friends began to send me images from news of the protest happening in downtown Portland. The event was aptly named “Flag Burning Extravaganza” and was a permitted protest by the City of Portland.

The violent images of people breaking windows, vandalizing the city, and burning countless American flags in the middle of our town square made my blood begin to boil.

I wasn’t upset people were protesting. Protesting is an American pastime, and we have the right to have our voices heard. But this particular protest wasn’t “for” anything. It was violent and hate-filled, solely for the sake of violence and hatred.

I left work early and stopped home to quickly change clothes with my mind focused on one thing – to go downtown and collect all of the flags that I could.

I am not a violent man, nor am I typically interested in conflict. But I served as a Marine and couldn’t stop thinking about the families of fallen service members who were devastated by what was happening.

As I laced my boots, my wife asked me where I was headed.

As expected, she didn’t like my response. She did a great job of trying to talk sense into me, but logic wasn’t something I was interested in at that moment.

She finally asked, “What good will this do?”

I didn’t have a rational response to her reasonable question. So I asked her to trust me, and I hugged her before getting in my car and driving away.

My phone buzzed again after making it only a couple of miles down the road. This time, it was a message from my daughter, so I pulled over to read these four words, “I love you, Daddy.”

My heart dropped.

My wife outsmarted me. She knew there wasn’t anything more important to me than my role as a father.

The bravado that had been welling up dissipated, and my tunnel vision widened.

I was filled with emotion as I was smacked with the reality that my actions become an example for my children. Reading those four words made me quickly realize that my plan may not be the best example I could set for them or act as the reflection of the character that I strive for daily.

I was only a few blocks from the Willamette National Cemetery, so I pulled in to sit and think for a moment. I needed to clear my head.

I drove slowly through the winding roads taking in the sights of countless rows of gravestones marking the place of rest for service members and family. I was again gripped with emotion.

My car seemed to guide me to the top of the hill, and the Medal of Honor recipient plaques caught my eye. These were real tales of heroism, bravery and sacrifice.

After reading them a couple of times, I realized I shouldn’t speak in the language only spoken by those who would agree with me. Going downtown and grabbing flags would have likely been applauded by many, but it ultimately would not spark lasting change.

I would be contributing to the noise of the world and be just as guilty as the rioters by acting in a divisive way.

A compelling message for peace was necessary.

Instead of arguing, I wanted people to think, “I’ve never thought of it that way before. Tell me more.”

I pulled out my phone and recorded a couple of minutes of raw thoughts and emotions. I invited the rioters to meet me at the cemetery to read the plaques and view the thousands of gravesites. I spoke from the heart and posted the video to my personal Facebook page.

The video immediately went viral.

It was viewed millions of times in the first 24 hours and shared on every social media platform.

Articles written about the video were posted on the websites for Maxim, Task & Purpose and many others. Celebrities and politicians shared the pieces, and I received thousands of messages worldwide from people thanking me for sharing the way I did.

I was a guest on radio and news broadcasts in all 50 states, and my journey of sharing thoughts with the world began.

In the last five years, I have reached hundreds of millions of people through podcasts, interviews and social media posts, sharing ideas on current events, life and world happenings.

This journey has given me many sleepless nights wrestling with the ideals of journalism, news and media.

There’s a necessary sense of responsibility one should have if given a platform to influence others.

In the beginning, I questioned why people were interested in what I had to say. I didn’t have traditional credentials or education, yet my audience kept growing. Instead of continuing to wonder, I unscientifically polled as many people as I could to find out what they took away from reading my thoughts or watching my videos.

The most common responses were a version of “I trust you” and “You make me think about things differently.”

The effectiveness of leading with a calm and committed voice is palpable.

I was incredibly relieved the answers didn’t reflect a mindless agreement with my opinions or conclusions but rather reflected a healthy consensus of this truth – no matter how hard we try, we can only see the world from our own point of view. This truth doesn’t evaporate if you obtain an Ivy League degree in journalism or spend a lifetime on the craft of reporting.

We can deepen our perception of the world but will always be limited by our humanity.

The people who “follow” the content I create understand I offer my opinions as a painter would offer his work in an art gallery. It is there for viewing, not for sale. The artist is simply hoping you experience, and possibly even enjoy, the brush strokes as they appear on the canvas.

It’s in this same spirit that I create my content. There isn’t an expectation of adaptation. I’m simply inviting you to experience a point of view that I am exploring and working diligently to create.

It is that simple.

Trust as an authority is no longer an automatic byproduct of earning a college degree or job title.

Trust is given to those seen in pursuit of truth over agenda and whose voice contains a humble reflection that there’s always more to the story than any one person can uncover.

Our society has moved toward using the power of social proof for decision-making instead of relying solely on the work of an expert.

We look at Yelp reviews instead of professional food critic write-ups when deciding on dinner and take to Facebook neighborhood groups for suggestions to train a new puppy instead of a meeting with a trainer or veterinarian.

I’m not suggesting the world is in a better place due to this movement, but I am observing the change and recognize the power of understanding it.

It’s often said that journalism is dead. But doesn’t that presuppose that journalism was at one time alive?

I don’t subscribe to that line of thinking.

There have always been good journalists and bad. We have always had access to the work of diligent reporters and opinion writers while simultaneously subjugated to propaganda and trash reporting of the bad ones.

Journalism has always been a reflection of the times. It doesn’t live and breathe on its own.

And although I don’t consider myself a journalist in any way, I am committed to curating events of the world and delivering a version that serves others in some small way, while never forgetting my children will be watching as I do.