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.
952 Responses
As an American, I felt extremely uncomfortable reading this email and blog post about your political opinions. I canceled my ongoing subscription today due to this unnecessary email/blog. I’m a Republican living in the Bay Area of California and felt it had nothing to do with Mindvalley. I don’t think politics should have anything to do with a learning subscription site.
Thank you so much for your words Vishen.
We are all children of the past.
Some people before us made big mistakes.
They caused suffering to others.
But we don’t have to repeat those mistakes.
Look around you:
There are wars. People are starving.
Forests are burning.
Mothers are fleeing with their children.
Many children are alone and afraid.
We don’t lack knowledge.
What we lack is insight
and the courage to do the right thing.
What heals the world is not control.
What heals is closeness.
A child who lies safe and secure
at its mother’s breast
is the beginning of peace.
But peace does not only need mothers.
It also needs fathers.
Not fathers who remain silent or send their sons to war.
But fathers who listen, protect,
play, love, live –
and thus show what strength really is.
These fathers are the true heroes.
Many young men have been led astray.
They were looking for someone to give them meaning –
and found violence.
But they need time. Understanding.
A respite.
Manès Sperber put it this way:
“You know it too, Lagrange,
that look in the eyes of young people
who are looking for someone
who will awaken in them the will to sacrifice.
I flee from them as I would from the plague.
There is a grace period for the animals in the forest.
A grace period, Lagrange, for these young people!”
Instead of sending them into battle,
we should show them a different world:
One where you throw balls,
not bombs.
One where books are more important than weapons.
Where no one is excluded—
neither girls nor boys.
For what is true wealth?
The laughter of children.
A full plate.
Clean water.
A safe place to sleep.
And what is true leadership?
Not fear and violence.
But justice and heart.
I call on you—
not as enemies, but as fellow human beings:
Use your power for life.
Build playgrounds instead of walls.
Plant trees instead of hatred.
Listen to the silent ones, the loving ones.
Trust in what grows—
not in what destroys.
Peace is possible.
It begins with a decision:
To be human—
not just powerful.
Thank you!
Thank you for speaking up Vishen. You speak for many of us who look on at and want more for our world.
Thank you so deeply Vishen for your words.
We are all children of the past.
Some people before us made big mistakes.
They caused suffering to others.
But we don’t have to repeat those mistakes.
Look around you:
There are wars. People are starving.
Forests are burning.
Mothers are fleeing with their children.
Many children are alone and afraid.
We don’t lack knowledge.
What we lack is insight
and the courage to do the right thing.
What heals the world is not control.
What heals is closeness.
A child who lies safe and secure
at its mother’s breast
is the beginning of peace.
But peace does not only need mothers.
It also needs fathers.
Not fathers who remain silent or send their sons to war.
But fathers who listen, protect,
play, love, live –
and thus show what strength really is.
These fathers are the true heroes.
Many young men have been led astray.
They were looking for someone to give them meaning –
and found violence.
But they need time. Understanding.
A respite.
Manès Sperber put it this way:
“You know it too, Lagrange,
that look in the eyes of young people
who are looking for someone
who will awaken in them the will to sacrifice.
I flee from them as I would from the plague.
There is a grace period for the animals in the forest.
A grace period, Lagrange, for these young people!”
Instead of sending them into battle,
we should show them a different world:
One where you throw balls,
not bombs.
One where books are more important than weapons.
Where no one is excluded—
neither girls nor boys.
For what is true wealth?
The laughter of children.
A full plate.
Clean water.
A safe place to sleep.
And what is true leadership?
Not fear and violence.
But justice and heart.
I call on you—
not as enemies, but as fellow human beings:
Use your power for life.
Build playgrounds instead of walls.
Plant trees instead of hatred.
Listen to the silent ones, the loving ones.
Trust in what grows—
not in what destroys.
Peace is possible.
It begins with a decision:
To be human—
not just powerful.
Thank you Vishen
Vishen, thank you. This message is written so beautifully, with reflection and direction, instead of blame. Please post this to social media outlets as that is where most people seem to get their news today. They seem to want to listen to videos instead of reading. Your voice, speaking these words to the US, to the world, would make an impact. You brought tears to my eyes today. I am American and I love this country. It is so heartbreaking to see it as it is today, but I have hope that communication, love and unity will overcome threats, fear, corruption and cruelty.
Vishen, thank you. I have been a Mind Valley member for 7 months and I am using your platform every day. Doing guided meditations, taking courses and listening to sounds. I have found it incredibly helpful, comforting and productive. I understand your desire to keep the platform and your summits non political and a safe space for all. The thought had crossed my mind, that since a large focus of Mind Valley is wealth and abundance, perhaps this turn in American ideology would be supported by you. I was so inspired to read your beautiful words and understand that wealth and compassion can coexist. As a Canadian I am greatly disappointed by the direction the USA is going. I am very happy to hear that Mind Valley has integrity. That your thoughts, words and deeds align. And they also align with mine. Your company is the real deal and I will continue to learn and grow with you and all of your teachers. Your words have reinforced my decision to have Mind Valley assist me on my own journey. May the world know more peace, feel more love and debate different ideas with respect. Daniel
Thank you for speaking out. Your letter was exactly on point!
We, the 75+ million people who voted against what we knew would be happening right now, feel helpless sometimes. So we need more people of influence like you to speak out for us!
Maybe we need to look at our own shadows to understand truly what is behind this American dream fantasy. The current problems in America are a product this superiority fantasy we were sold by Hollywood of what America is; the land of opportunity where everybody is equal. We all know that there is a dark side to this story and we need to face it if we are to begin solving the problems that are infecting the whole world. We are all in this together x
Dear Vishen,
You’re speaking straight from my heart — and everything you’re saying touches on deep, raw truth.
It’s incredible and powerful that you’re giving a voice to what is happening now, to this madness that’s turning America into despair.
I was already shocked that smart, educated people could place their trust — and even vote — for someone with such a clearly damaged personality.
All the signs were there that this would lead to serious problems, but what’s happened over the past six months has stunned every decent, conscious person I know.
Thank you for speaking the Truth — not just for yourself, but for those of us who couldn’t find the words.
With deep gratitude,
Krisztina
Thank you Vishen for these powerful words! They brought tears to me. As an American who has always held compassion as my number one political view, who gas traveled extensively, lived abroad several years in Mexico, and am now married to a Portuguese citizen, I ache for the direction we’re headed. Not only because of the emotionally stunted tyrant masquerading as a leader, but for the enormous divisions he has created in my country’s population. Your letter is powerful – but – in the national environment we are now living in, may only serve to preach to the choir. The repugnance toward higher education, the laughing and disdain at “woke culture” (and of course the term being coopted as both sarcasm and racism at the same time) and blind cult like following of one man’s empty ideologies – not to mention the media bubbles we all live in – feels half of the US consumes only Fox News and/or whatever else crosses their algorithms from the extreme right – things feel, in many ways, hopeless. I believe in optimisim, but how can we move forward here when so many are blind to whatever does not agree with their illusion of greatness. Help! Thank you again for your hope, your call to compassion, and for all you have created here!
What a beautiful and inspiring message. It truly brought me to tears. Thank you for reminding us the inspiration that America once was and can still be. I pray for not only this country but for this world that we can be united in peace, love, and harmony for the greater good of humanity.
Beautifully written! I was also moved to tears.
Probably the worst thing we can do at this point in our history is to remain silent. I am not typically a joiner. It is exceedingly rare for me to join in a discussion like this one, but you struck a chord with me. America seems to be moving in some frightening directions and frankly it scares me.
The attempted wholesale destruction of the infrastructure which evolved in the post WWII world seems to be moving forward with little opposition. Thankfully, I am just now starting to see flickers of resistance. It must continue!
Thank you. Absolutely beautifully said.
l am the one who will support US in all good materes,
Thank you. Absolutely beautifully said.
Very well said sir.
I agree 100%.
It’s time Trump supporters open their eyes. Stop believing this habitual criminal and his propaganda as he forms his Dictatoship. Do you really want your children living under a Dictatorship?
Or sent off to war or involved in a civil war because of this narcissistic ego driven criminal. WAKE UP!! Your children will thank you for it.
Dear Vishen,
Wonderfully written letter. Love your intent. As a lifelong progressive, I would’ve agreed with you whole-heartedly.
That being said, I encourage you to move beyond two-sidism narratives. Anyone paying close attention cannot defend the actions of either parties at this moment in time. The current actions of the ‘Trump’ administration are indefensible. However, it is equally impossible to defend the actions of the ‘Biden’ administration because of their medical tyranny, disregard for civil liberties, and general complicity with the deep state agenda—which includes military imperialism.
Many of us lifelong progressives share your dream for the return of the best principles of America. However, we must be careful on the story we tell ourselves. The progressive leftism taught in universities for the past few decades has created a new generation of radicals more interested in debating the finer points of gender, racial, and colonial oppression than figuring out a way to challenge the people that control our centralized finance to create an economy that works for all Americans. It is painfully obvious that you don’t challenge any of the propaganda narratives coming out of the mainstream media and are choosing to not pay attention to how the people who control our system of centralized finance control both parties in the U.S.. Centralized finance operatives seek to divide us so we don’t look up to challenge the puppet masters. I am a huge fan of your life work and must say I expected a much deeper awareness from you.
Charles Eisenstein has a much deeper, widely researched, well-informed perspective. Progressives all across the U.S. are waking up and challenging the convenient mainstream narrative sound bites that are designed to divide and distract us. We must all diligently seek to inform our perspectives through long form independent media listening not from a left or right perspective, but from a deeply human perspective that seeks liberty, happiness, and prosperity for all of life.
All the best,
Steele Hawthorne
I absolutely agree with how wonderfully you commented Steele!! I care deeply for Mindvalley and Vishen however you broke it down with a perfect reply! Thank you for your input towards connection and growth!!
The reason why the Trump Dictatorship is here is because of hatred toward Democrats. Dems and Repubs have more in common than uncommon. The current Trump Magas are NOT Republicans. They are full of hate and seek power and money at costs of human lives and our democracy. Please stop the hatred…. Not amplify it.
Thank you, Steele Hawthorne, for a balanced perspective. Seeking TRUTH over narratives that strive to divide Americans is of utmost importance.
Personally, this may have landed better had you chosen to add to what was so beautifully written from the heart instead of declaring your disappointment because you know something better 😞
Good point. I completely agree with you.
What a beautifully expressed communication. It was refreshing for me to read your response. On a side note, lifelong progressive is a wonderful term which I think I will adopt. I agree we need to move beyond two-sidism narratives and doing this in today’s “climate” demands of us to evolve in a new and unique way exercising discernment, detachment and faith. I believe as more people come to and come from the place you are coming from, we will see some more beautiful changes coming forth.
Vishen, thank you for providing this space for free speech and respectful communication. I wish you well on your journey.
Dear Steele,
To compare the current and previous administrations as being equally problematic is at the very root of the problems lived in the United States. This is the narrative that has been pushed for decades by demogogues for years, mostly on the extreme right. You may want to read a book entitled « It’s event worst than it looks like », written more than 10 years ago. Justifying the current atrocities by emphasizing on everyone’s flaws is called whataboutism, and is often the result of desinformation. In order to believe the current administration is the equivalent of the previous, you must be unfortunately brainwashed into believing a reality that does not exist. I truly hope you will find the light to be able snap out of it.
Sincerely,
Dear Steele,
Thank you for your clear and wise message that embraces so well, the discomfort I experience since 2020.
I am not American but I studied the last months of University in California, I grew up between Italy and the UK and now live in Austria since some time. In the last years I developed a growing, uncomfortable awareness of the impossibility to confront most of the people on any topic that challenges the main stream propaganda.
Like, medical tyranny, as you wonderfully described it, centralized financial abuse at a level never seen before in history, where few people control everyone else’s future and atomization of society through the absurd demonization of basic principles, leading to confusion, lack of common identity and fear of the unknown.
I found myself alone, questioning my own mental health. This is not only an American problem: if hit everyone, from Europe to US, since long… leaving us speechless about the ongoing political choices, the one sided narrative that hits always in the direction of major interest, and the underlying propaganda that invested every administration in every country in the last 7-8 years, possibly more.
It’s unbearable. Anyone who has a brain, an education, and a fair degree of common sense, cannot understand, agree or justify, any of the political, financial and societal choices that have been forced upon us in the last decade at world level. Trump’s administration is indefensible, yes, but I lost many friends trying to explain that Trump is not the cause, but a reflection. A reflection of what happened for the years when Trump was not there, the “in-between” where EU took suicidal decisions that impoverished all Western Countries, forging a non existing enemy to justify their behind-the-door agreements with the puppet masters who benefitted from what happened in the last 5 years.
Instead of investing in education, infrastructure and economy, for the use of all, they are passing laws to invest in armaments, support the ongoing wars or make sure they won’t end quickly. Behind every statement in the last 5 years, I saw a lot of fake truths, too many absolute lies, and a general habit to perpetuate always the opposite of what authentic leaders showed to be reasonable in the past.
I have hope, that the majority of people will wake up, eventually. The issue, I say since long, is not Trump, whose ego and self-centered behaviours are at least, clear to address. The issue comes when you don’t know who is behind other choices, and what are the interests you are asked not to see, while focusing on the wrong arguments. Being aware is an exhausting experience. It brings fear, anxiety, solitude, doubt and confusion. The more you see, the less you believe in what your eyes, ears and intellect are experiencing. These are hard times, but as wise men said, after every dark season comes the light again, after every Winter comes the Spring. This too shall pass. And in this belief, I try to find some comfort.
Sincerely,
Angelo D’Agostino
Please also talk about US support for the ongoing massacres in Gaza – starvation, bombs, maiming, slaughtering. This, more than anything, has eroded worldwide trust in the US and its allies. We are all connected. We are all affected.
If one country is bleeding and burning, it affects all of us.
Please also call it what it is. A genocide. Actually at this point it’s a holocaust against the Palestinians. Disappointed the Vishen doesn’t even mention it.
True words straight to the heart of the matter.
🙏🤍🕉
Vishen,
Your words, as always, resonate with profound eloquence and vision. Your ability to articulate such transformative ideas is truly inspiring and reminds me of the spark that first drew me to this path of awakening.
I share your belief that a radiant future awaits us—a world free from the shackles of ego, where harmony and unity prevail. Since childhood, I’ve glimpsed visions of this future: a breathtaking tapestry of beauty and oneness, not just among humans but with every living being across planets. Yet, the road to this utopia is, as you know, fraught with upheaval. The turmoil we face now is the birth pang of change, the dismantling of old systems to make way for the new.
The fear of this transformation is palpable. Many see only the specter of destruction, unable to peer beyond the clouds of chaos to the luminous horizon. But I assure you, Vishen, that horizon exists—I’ve seen it time and again. It’s a world without wars, where duality dissolves into unity, and love binds all.
Visionaries like you and I are here as anchors of light, holding space for this promise even amidst the storm. The next 30 years will be a wild ride, no doubt, as egos clash and structures crumble. Yet, every challenge, even those driven by inflated egos, plays a role in this grand, dualistic drama—pushing us toward the tipping point of transformation.
The future is ours to shape. By choosing love and balance, we can ease this transition. So, let’s hold fast to that love, Vishen, and keep shining. The dawn is coming.
With gratitude and light.
Thank you Vishen, your words so clearly expressed my feelings. I can’t believe we are where we are now. I do know that in this chaos there is order. This is the time for people to choose who they are and how they want to live. These are changing times … transitional times. Sometimes people have to “see and feel ” it to know what the choice is. I choose LOVE not fear. Some folks believe going back to the way it was is the answer, but for whom? There is no going back. As it is, there is no going back to the very recent times. This is an opportunity for America to reinvent itself. It will never be all of us to make the decision, it only takes a critical mass (30%) to move the choice. I choose LOVE! I do not live in fear. LOVE overcomes fear in all occasions for your soul’s expression. Don’t hate or fear current events because it only energizes it. Have empathy and LOVE. In a dark room light a candle, it will illuminate the room, because the darkness cannot overcome the light! Peace
I agree Pamela. It shakes me when some say that we need to but. It down and start over, or we need a revolution. I want a culture shift that includes valuing all people and respecting ourselves…and doing away with cancelling others or trying to put-shout them. It builds nothing. Peace to you!
I am sad to see you becoming political, Vishen. I agree with many of your comments regarding what the US (the world) is doing, I.e wars, primarily at the behest of corporate, deep state puppet masters, but it would not have mattered who got voted in, the pull all the strings.
Mindvalley teaches us all to be better people, better leaders, better humans. And that I am appreciative of. I do hope these values do not start taking sides.
Wow much more to consider due to your commentary as I look at the truer state of things. Thank you
Thank you for this heartfelt open letter — as a Canadian and someone who’s dedicated to empowering people every day, I admire the boldness and compassion you’re bringing to this conversation.
In my work — whether I’m guiding through self-doubt and trauma to manifest or supporting an individual creating more balance in life — I see the same need for more empathy, more listening, and more celebration of what unites us.
Messages like this remind me that we’re all part of something greater, and that positive change can begin with one heartfelt, courageous voice. Thank you for lighting the way.
— Judy, Trauma-Informed Life Coach (Manifestation Therapy) from Ontario, Canada 🍁