Dear America,
I want to begin with this:
I love you.
I really, truly do.
I lived in your cities. I walked your campuses. I sat in your coffee shops, dreaming of building something that could change the world.
America was where I studied. Where I discovered my voice.
Where I fell in love with ideas that reshaped my life.
Where I started Mindvalley, with nothing but ambition and a belief that anything was possible.
For a full decade, you were my home.
And in many ways, you still are.
I may live elsewhere now, but I still identify as American more than anything else.
Because America—the idea of America—isn’t just geography.
It’s a frequency. A dream. A promise that inspired not just me, but billions of people around the world.
What we loved about you
We loved your optimism—the way you believed anything was possible.
We loved your rebels—the ones who spoke truth to power and rewrote the rules.
We loved your Martin Luther King Jr., whose voice still echoes across continents.
We loved your Silicon Valley, that dared to invent the future.
We loved your Apple, born in a garage, changing the way we connect.
We loved Burning Man, a wild celebration of freedom, creativity, and community in the desert.
We loved your poets, your scientists, your dreamers.
You were never perfect. But damn—you had soul.
You were the lighthouse.
The messy, brilliant, complicated beacon we looked toward for what was possible.
But lately… that light feels like it’s flickering.
What the world sees now
In just six months, this is what the world has seen:
– Threats to abandon NATO, the alliance that preserved peace for generations.
– Pointless trade wars where everyone loses.
– Withdrawal from the Paris Climate Treaty, while the Earth burns.
– And now—bombs falling on Iran.
Another unwinnable war in the Middle East.
A war your people swore they’d never allow again.
Not after Iraq.
Not after Afghanistan.
And it’s not just the outer world we see you destroy.
We see you tearing yourselves apart from within.
- Immigration raids that tear apart families and have caused LA to burn.
- Politicians who sound like children while openly taking bribes.
- Tax cuts for billionaires, while those struggling now actually have to pay more in taxes.
- A climate movement abandoned by the very country where it was born.
And yet—I’m writing this letter with an open heart.
Because I haven’t given up.
This week, I’m helping my son apply to U.S. universities. We’re preparing for a tour of East Coast campuses. Then, I’m driving from South Dakota to Yosemite, with stops at Mount Rushmore and the great open spaces I fell in love with.
I want to show my son America. Because I still believe in what America can be.
But I also cannot stay silent—not as a lover of your culture, not as a global citizen.
This spiral you’re in?
It must be named. And it must be stopped.
Because true friends don’t stay silent when they see you crashing.
The spiral was not a mystery. It was a choice.
Every war.
Every broken treaty.
Every erosion of trust.
It didn’t just happen. It was chosen through voting decisions.
By people who, often unknowingly, chose:
- Ego over empathy.
- Charisma over character.
- Soundbites over substance.
And I don’t blame you.
You were caught in a storm of propaganda. You were tired, misled, afraid.
But we need to be honest:
When you vote for leaders who enable war, destabilize peace, and govern through vengeance, you are not just voting for policy. You are voting for self-destruction.
What happened to service?
A great American president once said:
“Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy
Another said:
“We must never remain silent in the face of injustice.” – Barack Obama
Even Ronald Reagan once called America a “shining city upon a hill.”
What happened to that America?
Now we see leaders who sow division instead of unity.
Who thrive on conflict rather than compassion.
Who look not to serve, but to rule.
And as Sun Tzu warned:
“Some men would set their own nation ablaze, just to be king over the ashes.”
Can you recognize them?
Because now more than ever, you must.
America, you’ve always known how to tell the story. Now it’s time to live it.
Think of your heroes.
The ones you’ve shown us on screen for decades.
Will Smith in Independence Day.
Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible.
They save the world, not just themselves.
They protect their families, but they also rise to a higher mission.
That’s what made us fall in love with you.
Your heroes were never selfish.
They were flawed, yes. But they stood up for something bigger.
So why, in real life, do you so often vote for the opposite?
Your vote is not just yours
I say this with love—and urgency:
Your vote doesn’t just affect your neighborhood. It affects the entire planet.
- It affects the air we all breathe.
- The treaties we all depend on.
- The peace we all hope for.
- The future our children will inherit.
This is no longer about party loyalty or economic policy.
This is about consciousness.
This is about whether the most powerful country on Earth will continue to operate from fear and ego —
Or rise into wisdom and service.
What the world needs from you now
We don’t need another American empire.
We need an American elder.
Not one who dominates. One who guides.
Not one who fears. One who serves.
Because you were never meant to be a fortress.
You were meant to be a lighthouse.
But a lighthouse cannot fulfill its purpose if it forgets to shine inward first.
You taught us to dream. Now we’re asking you to dream again.
The world doesn’t hate you.
We’re not laughing at you.
We’re just watching… and hoping.
Hoping that the America we believed in is still in there.
The next time you march in the streets,
March for all of us.
Not just for the poor or hungry in your zip code.
But for the citizens of our shared planet who need you to shine again.
And when the time comes…
Vote with your heart. And with your higher self.
The choice is yours
Not every election is a turning point.
But some are.
And the one you’re facing now?
This is that moment.
You can vote for leaders who turn the world into a battlefield.
Or vote for those who understand that true power is service.
You can choose:
- Ego or evolution
- Division or destiny
- Fear or future
The world is not asking you to be perfect.
We are simply asking you to remember who you are, at your best.
The America that marched with MLK.
That wrote the Moonshot speech.
That created iPhones, NASA, jazz, and the dream that all humans are created equal.
That’s the America we still believe in.
That’s the America the world needs.
Let that be the America you choose.
— Vishen
Founder, Mindvalley
Citizen of Earth.
Forever shaped by the promise of America.
PS: This letter isn’t just mine—it’s a conversation we all need to have. I’d love to hear how this landed for you. What do you believe America still stands for? What does it need to stand for?
Share your comments below.
Let’s make this a space for reflection, dialogue, and hope.
953 Responses
How can I not cry reading this? How can my heart not ache?
Oh America, we hurting your pain of being so rawly gutted with selfishness and division.
Thanks for believing Vishen. Thanks for such heart-felt letter. I needed to read this because I also want to believe. All of us that call America our home because we believe in freedom, opportunity, justice and respect want to believe that these foundational values are what America stands for, and these values will hold strong, at its core.
Vishen, thank you for sharing what is on a lot of our hearts in America. I did not vote for the current president and wish our government was taking a different outlook on important issues. So much that we gained is lost in a flash with this president. All of our work for children and adults with disabilities washed away. Important research grants washed away. Important research institutes disbanded, along with all the other things you mentioned. I am so sad for America. I wish there was a way we could go back to embracing freedom, equality, accessibility, and respecting the diversity that made America a wonderful place to live.
Thank you for your words Vishen.
They do give me hope as I am an American that did not vote for the outcome of the last election. I was totally blown away by the results and still am to this day. It was close by popular vote so half of us seem sane, but what amazes me is that the other half believes without a doubt they made the right choice. I believe we are going to be set back decades in civil rights, enviromental protections, developing and expanding upon green energy, and plain empathy as this administration lacks it. I’m in a whirlwind these days as there is always something new I can’t believe that is happening in our country. I used to be proud to be an American, but these days I don’t feel as proud.
Enjoy Mount Rushmore, as it’s only a few hours from me and have only visited once but should again.
Take care and praying with passion that we will turn this country around to the great path it was on.
Dear Vishen, I am grateful to you for sharing your personal and global perspective… gives me hope!
Thank you for the letter. While I believe most Americans “mean well”, we have become lazy. We chose our political parties with the same passion as our college football teams, but with less thought. “Good” people have forgotten that we cannot simply trust our parties or leaders without paying attention to their actions; we must take time to read at least part of the legislation. We must truly listen to opposing views not with the idea of how to use rhetoric to bury the other view, but to truly listen and assimilate the information to become a better nation. Instead, we are far too caught up in proving ourselves right and others wrong. For the last few decades many of us have blindly dug a deeper divide and attempted to bury the other side rather than building a bridge. For myself, I have to remember, (and this was quite a challenge for me after the results of the last election, which disappointed me more than any other election in my life) that while my political views may differ from that of my neighbors or friends, we are all in this together; even in the worst storm, we band together and help one another (regardless of beliefs) and I hope we will work to find ways to open our eyes and ears and to finally remember to love and live out of the hope we may learn and teach rather than the fear we will lose a belief we have held dear, perhaps for far too long.
Now on a different note, I live in western South Dakota and have some travel information for you and your son should you be interested. Many of these trips can be combined depending on time commitments. At nearly every gas station and hotel you can pick up a 1 page map of the Black Hills, Badlands and Devils Tower for free, be sure to get one. 1. Take Needles highway to get to the wildlife loop. 2. Take the wildlife loop in Custer State Park to enjoy bison and their babies as well as antelope, deer, elk, big horn sheep, prairie dogs, grouse and burros. Take carrots for the burros, they are mostly tame. Do not approach any other wildlife. 3. From the wildlife loop, take 16A (Iron Mountain road) north. As you approach the tunnels they will frame the views of Mt. Rushmore, and the highway has a few unique features (pigtails, where you go under and then circle around and go under a bridge) and it is a beautiful drive. 4. If you are into fossils or dinosaurs, visit The Black Hills Institute in Hill City, it is small but has amazing specimens…these are the people that discovered the T-Rex, Sue in the Chicago Field Museum and inspired the movie, “Dinosaur 13”. And the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs is worth a visit as well. 5. Highway 14 (Spearfish Canyon) is worth a drive. Most days you will see mountain goats and their babies, usually within a few miles of bridal veil falls. The best waterfalls to see are short hikes from Savoy (Roughlockfalls and Little Spearfish falls–if you don’t want to hike, you can take a dirt road to Roughlock falls. There is much more to see: Devils Tower, Badlands, Crazy Horse, Mt. Rushmore, Neutrino Research at Sanford Labs in Lead, Deadwood plus more. There is a “museum” at the “neutrino lab”, but there may be ways with advanced planning to get underground at the lab… Hope this helps. There are so many beautiful sites to see on your road trip. Drive safely and have fun! Get insurance on your car rental in case of hail. If you need travel assistance in SD contact me via email, phone or text. I am a Mindvalley member.
Thank you for this! We need more people with big platforms to stand up the way you do and spread messages like this.
Thank you, Vishen. Your love for this country is felt deeply in your words. As an American, whose sights are aligned with yours, I TRULY APPRECIATE you taking the time to use your platform in this beautiful and constructive way. We will continue to work together to realign ourselves to what America is meant to be. Your words are powerful and it is my sincerest hope and belief that those who needed to hear them most have now been moved into action. Be well!
I appreciate this letter as a sincere call to humanity.
The United States of America aren’t perfect. We are diverse humans with all sorts histories and motivations; some are great, some are horrible, and some are both and/or neither.
That being said, I believe that most folks are doing their best to do their best. It is also far easier to believe that the things that we do are right and/or righteous, even when they are not.
We often bury or are trained out of the guilt we maybe should feel by our environments, our routines and the company we keep. We feel justified to feel the ways we feel.
We are all entitled to feel our emotions. This is true. While often valuable, unfortunately, many suppress these internal cues.
What we are not entitled to is harming others for profit.
Businesses often sweep that part under the rug and forget about it. We all have jobs to do, but they are not all good, or for the good of others.
There is a mindset that folks have free will and if they want to invest in things that hurt them, so be it. “It’s not the businesses’ fault”, when maybe some of it really is.
I needed to advertise something recently, and looking for viable outlets also got me on some mailing lists. Within these solicitations to use their services, I was quickly disgusted by the tactics.
Advertisers bragged that they are experts in manipulating people’s emotional triggers to get the sales.
We have come a long way, and yet we haven’t.
There has been so much research into how to trigger humans to do the things we want them to do, that being manipulative is just a given these days. That is gross to me.
What’s happening is not a “live and let live” situation, like maybe we used to think. This is a “we can make anybody a puppet for your profit” modality.
When we know better, we should do better.
I saw this letter as a nudging reminder; as a call to do better.
If people are following you/this resource because they want to benefit from ‘your’ knowledge and mindset, then sharing your opinion in this case seems appropriate to me. (I see this more as an aspirational love letter vs any form of hate speech propaganda.)
While it does discuss politics, I don’t see this letter as political in a traditional sense. It is not a call to pick one side or the other as much as it is a wake up call to recognize which arenas you support/are investing in.
This is not about left, right or center, it’s about stopping obvious malice for the sake of humankind (and beyond).
We can’t always fix the past, but we can make better decisions moving forward.
The decisions currently being made in our names are not good ones. They seek to hurt vulnerable people, who are also people.
The arguments over their value are ridiculous.
We are all born into the situations we are born into. You didn’t choose your color, gender, location, class or circumstance when you were born. So why would you allow other humans to be hunted and/or tortured because of their caste?
If you have the expendable means to invest in more than others, cool. Good for you, your situation is enabling. Do something good/positive/helpful with it.
I would guess that the vast majority of people using this platform are doing pretty well for themselves. We are the ones who likely have the most power and sway, as leaders in our fields and industries.
Leaders are role models. It’s time to model up and be the people who stop this crap from happening in our names.
We should be allies for good, not gatekeepers stopping others from the successes we have come to know and expect.
The quality of one’s humanity is not innately connected to man made dollar signs or personal heritage.
When you don’t have extra money, time, energy, or brain space to spare, this does not make you a lesser person. If anything, it indicates that you have more challenges and often have to work significantly harder just to keep up.
Most people and parties are not 100% good or bad, as we are all rather complex individuals.
What has been allowed to continue over these past several months is horrid. This most recent bill is another nail in the coffin of humanity, and must be stopped if we want to secure any sort of reasonable future for ourselves and others.
Do y’all not see the irony of what they are looking do, and so close to our Independence Day. America was a means to escape tyranny, so why are any people advocating bowing to it?
It’s sad to see so many folks still defending obviously bad apples.
Even a broken clock is right 2x a day. That doesn’t make it a good clock. It’s certainly not a righteous clock.
For those basing their ideals on religiosity, please keep in mind that so many of these exclusionary excerpts have been cherry picked to elicit controlling behaviors, with blatant disregard for the spirit under which they were conceived. Please read the full passages vs falling for manipulative dogma.
You know in your heart that this (hate) is not this is not the path towards salvation. It is clearly the opposite.
*Bonus points for looking up the definition of the word “salvation”.
(Spoiler alert: It’s about the delivering humankind from fear and suffering, not to it.)
Thank you.
Thank you for sharing this blog, Vishen. I live in the UK, but what happens in America has a ripple effect all over the globe. So no one is untouched. You have put into words what I, and many are thinking. What in the world is happening and how will it be when all of the damage is done? Who are the great leaders that our next generation can look up to? And what can we do?
Dear Vishen You are so brave! I’m sorry for American people who seem to have lost critical thinking completely. A part of the Americans is blaming others, immigrants and foreigners for what? USA have done wars with the effort of money and life of men and women of other countries too. In Iraq my country, Italy send soldiers that have died for a war we never wanted. And Italy have given to the USA also scientists, managers, creators. And yes, many Americans have Italian ancestors, poor emigrants escaping from hunger, those immigrants that helped to build the country of liberty and hope that all the world used to love and admire. But sorry, in this last few months is not like that anymore, America is frightening right now.
Sorry Simonetta, what you said is not the truth about critical thinking for many Americans. It’s the reverse.
Very courageous Vishen, beautifully formulated. And whomever feels spoken to, can do something or support this kind of courage. Looking forward meeting you in August. Thank you.
Thank you for this statement Vishen. As an American who has lived in Europe for 16 years, it well encapsulates the complicated cocktail of emotions I feel as an American. The pride and adoration of the dream of what American COULD be… what we sometimes are, but the shame and terror of what we have become/are becoming.
And here I must also confess that I am very relieved to see this after receiving that disgusting newsletter about Donald Trump’s “Personal Growth Playbook” on 18 March. (Which disappointed and disgusted me so deeply I actually TRIED to cancel my mindvalley membership and seek a refund because I do not want to give one penny to any organization that supports or glorifies that man – but your customer service rep failed to follow up as promised. So I guess I took it as a sign, and here we are.
I hope you will continue to use your platform to speak out against injustice, fascism and the slow and steady conservative march towards a sociopathic society. (Especially since, unfortunately, MAGA has managed to manipulate many in the wellness space into thinking they represent / will fight for them. When really all they cared about was deregulating any food safety / environmental protections that cost the oligarchs money.)
We are way past politics now, this is about right and wrong. And if you’ve ever wondered what you would have done in 1930s Germany, you’re doing it right now. History will remember how we responded.
Dear Vishen,
Thank you for choosing the path of Love — the only path worthy of a true Human Being.
In a world still divided by fear, your words remind us that Humanity means union, care, compassion — and that we are not separate.
We are not here to fight each other.
We are here to rise together.
As One.
As Gandhi once said, “The day the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will know peace.”
Today, you help bring that day closer.
With all my heart,
Michelle
So beautifully said, Michelle!
Vishen, bro-
This is insulting! DO NOT address this letter to America, but rather to DONALD J TRUMP, his corrupt enablers and the countless REPUBLICANS that actively enable him or stay silent.
You can also address this to the millions of abjectly stupid morons that voted for him and for this chaos and the demise of American democracy and leadership in the world.
And you can address this to Elon Musk who literally bought the election and likely rigged the actual vote count.
If you are so concerned, have the balls to call out Trump directly.
Do not ignorantly or lazily lump those of us who did not vote for this and are now out in the streets protesting this darkness and striving to change course.
What a wonderful treatise. It encapsulated in clear form, without hyperbole, the tangent points that are so obvious yet are closeted. The fear of retribution is distastefully pungent; it has silenced those whose values are not based on material valuables and status. Veniomous attitudes with a ravenous appetite stalk the hallowed chambers of government where our forefathers worked not for station or reward but for justice and equality. We must bring up and support those who are in peak states, have courage and are willing to make changes for the betterment of mankind.
Nelson Mandela is a shining example of commitment to social justice. He spent 27 years in a jail cell with just one window to the world. It was a beautiful window because it let out enough light to radiate and bring changes as to how all people should be valued and it echoed throughout the world.
Yes we can regain the admiration of the world , and be the lighthouse that the world can again respect. We must stand porter at the door manifesting civility, compassion, understanding contribution and courage.
I will not be renewing my membership. Thank you for making that an easy decision. I think you should stay in your lane next time.
Never were truer words spoken. My hope is that those who need to hear this, do. Thank you for speaking out. 🙏
As you view Mt. Rushmore remember that much of the America you idolize was stolen from iits native people. Rushmore was originally Grandfather Mountain. The Black Hills are sacred to many Native American cultures, especially the Lakota. The monument so many admire was carved from land that was legally ceded to the Lakota in the 1880s in treaties that were broken by greed for gold. The America that makes you sad today is a global version of the same place that dehumanized minorities in the name of progress. See Rushmore if you must, but spend time at Crazy Horse Monument as well and understand the tragic history behind America’s ‘greatness’. If we don’t acknowledge the past, we’ll never overcome it.
God bless you. It is so brave of you to talk frankly knowing that you will receive some negative comments from people that are blind to what is really happening to the United States. They only talk about the past to underestimate the enormous mess we are in. All my family and friends who have follow you thoughout the years are now more convinced that ever that you speak with your heart the truth. I hope you continue to express your thoughts with no fear. Blessings.
у каждого общества страни каждого человека наступають моменти когда останавливаешься момент кризиса и переосмишления подведения итогов вибора нового пути Да тяжело больно но приходить понимание последствий вибора Америка ее общество переживает последствий вибора Все ми ошибаемся не надо воевать и обвинять Главное осознать и менять мишление людей ценить то что било достигнуто Свобода Мечти Желания видеть Свет в не тьму И єто все пройде Соломон . Єто Урок Надо обьединяться Гарвард продемонстровал как можно и нужно отстаивать свои права и свободу свою мечту Ми люди дети Бога и надо его свет любви надежди поддержки понимания видеть в каждом днем Все вместе ми сила Мир єто ми Ви делаете очень Многое для людей несете знания и любовь В тяжелий период жизни ви били лучом Света и надежди Оставпйтесь и дальше Дети наше будущее та наши уроки показивают им куда идти как поступать каким будет дальше мир З України з любов ю♥️