This introductory chapter asks a central question: Why can’t we get along? The long-standing national narrative of the American Dream is fraying and no longer resonates with many people’s hopes and aspirations. The author introduces two conflicting national narratives contributing to the divide: the Liberal Narrative and the Conservative Narrative. After outlining the purpose of the book and her intentions in writing it, she encourages readers to move beyond the “judging game,” in which one’s own group is seen as morally superior to others. The chapter concludes with an overview of ten reasons why the cultural divide in the United States has developed and continues to widen.

Students in China, photo Denise Ames

This chapter introduces the concept of worldviews, defining them as the lenses through which people interpret and navigate the world. Worldviews consist of interconnected beliefs and assumptions that profoundly influence how individuals think, feel, and act. The author presents the five worldviews explored throughout the book and examines the phenomenon of populism on both the left and right. The chapter also discusses how worldviews develop and change over time and highlights the common patterns shared across all worldviews. It concludes by exploring the bound assumptions within each worldview: the underlying beliefs that are often accepted without question and shape how people understand reality.

Children in Finland, photo Denise Ames

For over 500 years, the Modern worldview has played a dominant role in shaping the world. Although it remains influential, its position is being challenged by alternatives. With the exception of the Indigenous worldview, the other worldviews—Traditionalist, Progressive, Globalized, and Transformative—have either grown out of or reacted against the Modern worldview. The Modern worldview has influenced thought, economics, politics, society, and the natural world. “WEIRD”—Western, Educated, Industrialized (or Individualized), Rich, and Democratic—is a framework that helps explain many of the assumptions common in modern societies. The theme of “WEIRDness” is introduced here and revisited in later chapters.

Women Weaving in Bahrain, photo Denise Ames

This chapter examines how the Indigenous worldview differs fundamentally from the Modern worldview. Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct groups with deep historical ties to the lands their ancestors have inhabited for generations. Although they represent only about six percent of the global population, Indigenous communities have pioneered ways of understanding human relationships, society, the economy, spirituality, psychology, and the natural world. Through stories such as the “Story of a Mexican Fisherman” and the life of Nobel Peace Prize recipient Rigoberta Menchú, readers gain a deeper understanding of the values, challenges, and strengths of the Indigenous worldview in the context of a modernizing world.

Mayan ruins in Belize,photo Denise Ames

The author, in this chapter, divides the Traditionalist worldview into four groups: traditional political conservatives, the populist right, the alt-right, and religious fundamentalists or evangelicals. Traditionalists generally seek to preserve established values, customs, and institutions, favoring stability and gradual change over rapid transformation. The chapter discusses the rise of the populist right, including the political forces that contributed to the election of Donald Trump in 2016. It focuses primarily on Christian fundamentalism, the largest group within the Traditionalist worldview, while also examining Muslim and Jewish fundamentalism to show that fundamentalism is a global phenomenon found across religious traditions.

 Check point, Berlin, Germany, photo Denise Ames

The Progressive worldview emerging during the early 20th century, intensified in the 1960s, and has gained even more steam since the mid-2010s. It is not a single, unified perspective, but rather a collection of competing factions that each seek greater influence, including moderate or classical liberals, the populist or progressive left, and the more radical Antifa left. The chapter examines the influence of postmodern thought on the development of the Progressive movement and offers a brief historical overview of its evolution. It concludes by analyzing the contemporary state of the movement, including reasons it has continued to shift further left in recent years.


Mosque in Iran, photo Denise Ames

Sweeping across the globe, the Globalized worldview has profoundly reshaped how people work, play, interact, and live their daily lives. Accelerating since the 1980s, it reflects the increasing interconnectedness of people through the movement of goods, services, capital, labor, technology, ideas, information, and migration. Globalization is a complex, multidimensional phenomenon that links economic, political, cultural, social, environmental, and technological forces across national borders. In many ways, it has created a single global frame of reference, shaping how billions of people experience and navigate everyday life. This chapter explores globalization’s impact on the economy, society, politics, and culture.

Village in France, photo Denise Ames

At this moment in history, people around the world are calling for a different worldview—one that can help ensure the continuity of human life and the preservation of the Earth. Supporters envision multiple possible futures and believe that meaningful alternatives are both possible and achievable. This perspective challenges cultural uniformity, rigid fundamentalism, corporate dominance, consumer-driven values, extreme individualism, concentrated wealth and power, political gridlock, unchecked technological or economic “progress,” and environmental degradation. These perspectives are often united by shared democratic values, renewed spiritual connections, and a commitment to compassionate, pragmatic solutions .

Lebanon/Israel border, photo Denise Ames

Travel has the power to teach us countless lessons—if we remain open to its magical insights. What lessons do you hope to learn from your journeys?

Bazaar in Shiraz, Iran, photo Denise Ames