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A few weeks ago, I asked a psychologist friend of mine in Alberta, Canada about his view as to how we in America are perceived with regard to our upcoming elections. His comment was quite illuminating. He said we were all angry, but we didn’t know why. Perhaps we all feel threatened. If you are not afraid of Donald Trump, then you are fearful of Hillary Clinton.

I am fearful we are losing a dream. A dream that started in 1776. A dream that was reiterated by John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., a dream that many fought and died for on battlefields around the world.

The current relationship between the public and the constituted body empowered to protect it is under severe scrutiny. Events throughout the country have inflamed public opinion and caused or reopened deep wounds. Perhaps a re-examination of what a police force is would help to begin any sort of meaningful dialogue between government, the public and law enforcement officers.

Throughout human history, we have struggled to maintain order for that percentage of the population who would tend to their own affairs, respect the rights of others and generally get along. Laws are made to protect the community at large from those who would violate those activities.

So how far have we advanced since our ancestors decided to collaborate with one another and establish certain ideals and values to run civilization? Some might say we are no different from our predecessors, other than that we have way cooler electronics.

It could be viewed that any police force is employed to maintain the thin veneer of civilization. Police maintain the rule of law that separates us from barbarism. They are on the front line. After witnessing the events of the past week, that veneer may have worn through.

I am reminded of two quotes:

“The first human who hurled an insult instead of a stone was the founder of civilization.” — Sigmund Freud

“We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive.” — Albert Einstein

My psychologist friend also offered this: “At the end of any question, quest or search for a substantive answer, we will find God.” I thought that profound, in that regardless of how any question can withstand intelligent scrutiny, in the final analysis, we must turn to God or some higher moral authority for the guidance we need.

It could be viewed that any police force is employed to maintain the thin veneer of civilization. After witnessing the events of the past week, that veneer may have worn through.

It is my sincere hope that in the coming days, the questions asked in the incidents of the past eight days will be rooted in a desire to find causes and seek solutions. We cannot afford to scrape away more of the veneer by raising emotional issues to the point where we forget to respect others and the rule of law. My apologies to those offended by the use of the word, “God,” but I find it sad that I should feel the need to offer such an apology.

The issue this week is race. The great actor Edward James Olmos during a seminar at the United Nations made this comment about race: “I still find it incredible that we use the term ‘race’ as a cultural determinant. … I detest what we have done to ourselves. Out of a need to make ourselves different from one another, we’ve made the word ‘race’ as a way of expressing culture … there is only one race, and that is the human race, period.”

The Constitution of the United States includes those things necessary to support equality and justice. We fall short both implementation and in our leadership’s follow through in upholding the law and the traditions that support the law.

Perhaps we here in Hawaii can offer that leadership. Of all the states in the United States, the only other state that can come close to the diversity we represent is California. The dominant cultures there are what many would characterize as Anglo and Latino. In Hawaii, we share a diversity that is probably incomparable to any other part of the world. That diversity is our strength, and in no small measure we have not only survived but thrived because of it. What do we have in Hawaii that can provide comfort and direction?

It may be as simple as the Golden Rule. For in that rule we find the need for respect. It falls on each of us to take up that responsibility. In Hawaiian, it’s called Ka Hô`ihi. Without it, we are lost. We also consider ourselves part of a larger family or ohana. We may not agree with each other but as family members, we respect the others’ opinions and beliefs.

Perhaps by our example we can bring something to the world that it hasn’t experienced yet. We have a sense of belonging and community.

There are people around the nation who believe they are disenfranchised. More words on paper are not going to solve this issue. It is a matter of each of us carrying out the responsibilities of being citizens and those in government at all levels ensuring the letter and spirit of the law meet the obligations of their office.

Churchill once pointed out that a nation, like an individual, requires a direction. We have people of vision. They are being ignored. People such as Neil deGrasse Tyson have been offering their vision of a United States and our place in the world as the leader for the betterment of mankind. Instead of bemoaning our current condition, we need to plot a direction for this country that is inclusive of all Americans.

We, the people, need to become smarter and more involved in the process of electing candidates who share a vision of the future, not just an interest in promising more benefits from government. Kennedy pointed us in a direction by simply stating we would go to the moon by the end of the decade. It gave hope, direction and a sense of unity. It also gave an unprecedented boost to new technologies. Sadly, it was overshadowed by an unpopular war and continued racial enmity.

One can only wonder what sort of society Michael Brown and Officer Darren Wilson of Ferguson, Mo., would be living in now had we continued on the path of exploration that began with Kennedy. The environment they both experienced in Ferguson was and remains toxic. Regardless of the guilt or innocence of either party, the nature of their surroundings gave little room for respect.

How can we rectify this? It takes time and a willingness to give. This will not be resolved overnight or with more legislation or throwing money at the problem. This goes deep into the souls of each of us. Rabble rousers running to Dallas to fan the flames are not doing the cause of justice any good any more than those who roam the streets setting the fires.

We as a people and a nation, however one wishes to define it, must rise up and assume our responsibilities as citizens. We can no longer afford to remain complacent or ignore issues that continue to drive us apart.

We have weathered worse storms than what we are facing now. What is needed is a sense of nation. Not the flag-waving platitudes that politicians use to light up a crowd, but serious understanding of how our government works and what we are as a nation and a people.

The only way in which we can affect change is to demand it at the ballot box, write to our representatives and become participants. Otherwise our experiment in democracy will end.

We need a focus. We owe it to ourselves. We owe it to our children. We owe it to the world.