I’m more cynical than you, and this is after a lot of introspection, therapy, significant trauma and life experience with so-called “regular folks” - purely undiagnosed “pathologies” - from opportunistic and controlling clients, coworkers, neighbors, former college friends, distant cousins, doctors, salespeople, and more, who’ve popped up in all manner of situations. I have enhanced bully radar since I have history of attracting them like mosquitoes.

I’m really not proposing a panacea. I can’t even imagine “reaching the reachable.” I’ve had training in active listening and nonviolent communication and even 15-20 years ago, these skills were not as helpful as I had hoped in projects for building community, encouraging leadership and collaborative potential. And there wasn’t even truly big money or power involved! My spouse has served on community org boards and despite every well intentioned mission statement, it’s all been an energy drain of political theater and juggling egos. And naming rights to the new water fountain.

Nonetheless, I admire your optimism. I’m a pessimistic optimist who’s just too tired to keep venturing out of my immediate orbit of control, and have had to face hard realities of what I can and cannot change. I haven’t given up all hope, but my circle of influence is much smaller, and my help now offered to things that don’t argue for the sake of arguing, like birds, bees and wildlife in a very rural area.