My goal this new year is to exude neighborly love. As I have watched the political divisions take place over the years it has only made me want to bring everyone closer together. Not sure why I am wired that way, but I am. Those who know me have seen me all over the political spectrum. I am vocal about my beliefs and where I stand on things.
In this environment though I feel many do not feel heard, whether part of a minority or majority position. Maybe it’s my communication Ph.D. biasing me, but I feel our media systems are really set up to capitalize on political differences, and differences in general.
My way of coping with this is to see everyone as my neighbor, to know whether at work or at the super market or on FB, everyone is human. Whether poor or rich, in charge or just starting a job, culturally different, etc we see each other as neighbors.
To me, a neighbor is someone I live next to. I may or may not always agree with them politically or on other terms, but if they need milk, I will share some. We do our best to see the best in those next to us.
With social media, I feel many of us just get to see the difference and it has made us hate our neighbors in a way that just doesn’t add up.
My best example is when we are at the stores, the park, etc we are not yelling at each other. We are not constantly making comments to each other everyday at every store and park non-stop, but on social media, we do.
I bring this up because at my work, Texas A&M University, we are currently experiencing politicalization of our institution at a level that dehumanizes each other and definitely doesn’t see us as neighbors but as one uniform past that is decided by one political party. I can see how this might bring comfort and stability to one part of Texas/ns, however it is not representative of Texas/ans as a whole.
My hope as I go back to work this new year of 2026 is that at work and in the classroom, we see each other as neighbors, our regents and politicians realize that we are all Texans. I am Texan (as in my family signed the Texas Declaration of Independence) as many of you all know and as a Texan I realize our political situation seems like one party is in charge of Texas and while that is true, they still need to recognize the political minorities needs and wants, empathy given to all, like a good neighbor.
I know this is a dream of mine, but I am a dreamer and doer. I really feel that if we all do a bit more to humanize each other, see the good, even of those we disagree with, it can go a long way.
This holiday break I hung out with people from all over the political spectrum. No one group felt like winners and that’s with one group being fully in power, and that should tell you something about what it means to be “winning” politically in the 21st century.
If I lose my job this year (which is a high possibility) due to me being taped at work and doxxed for being one to discuss and hold lectures that pertain to tough subjects, just know it came from the heart and was meant to bring us a little closer together and see each others differences and how those differences make Texans who we are and neighbors.
I take my job seriously and want to see our students succeed, my colleagues succeed and yes A&M succeed. Many people ask me how I work at A&M (I went to UT and have 3 degrees from there). I tell them how wonderful the students are and my colleagues. I remind them that everything happening at A&M is at the state political level and regents level. That at the President level and below at A&M, we are just pawns as they have hired over 5 presidents over the past couple years and they fire and remove people from positions on their own whimsical accord at the regent level. And sadly the UT system is following suit as well. So we are all in this together.
So when you see your feed with political differences spewing at you, remember how we smile at each other at the market and park and work and say “howdy” as Texans and “hello” as Americans and if something were to happen right then and there we would be there for each other, not asking our political affiliation.
-joey phd