We live in a society that has increasingly not only taken the path of simplicity but has also increasingly undermined citizens’ tools to identify and address the complexity with which we are faced. – critical thinking, knowledge of our history and governing structures, and non-violent conflict resolution. This has left us with a population which is seriously susceptible to propaganda on one hand, and quick to anger at why problems don’t get solved on the other. The sad reality is that too many of our leaders have the same intellectual weaknesses as those they represent. I realize that in even raising these issues I am likely to be accused of elitism – one of the go-to accusations to silence people who attempt to address things like systemic racism, and the dismantling of both our educational system and curriculum.