As a young father in 1999, I remember the anxiety that consumed me as the world braced for Y2K. We were told that at midnight, all technology would collapse, airplanes would fall from the sky, and the world as we knew it would end. Then the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2000—and nothing happened.
A few years later came the Iraq War. I felt that same fear again, especially with a brother-in-law marching against Saddam Hussein’s elite guard. We were warned that one-third of U.S. soldiers could die. Once again, the darkest predictions never materialized.
Out of those seasons, my wife and I embraced a philosophy that has guided us ever since:
“Live each day as if it’s your last, and plant fruit trees as if your grandchildren will play in them 40 years from now.”
That’s why last week’s tragedy—the assassination of Charlie Kirk, only 20 miles from my home—struck me so deeply. It was a reminder of how fear and violence can cloud our hope for the future. And it shook me in another way: while serving on the Board of Higher Education, I put forward the resolution to make Utah a free speech state. To see rhetoric descend to this level feels heavy.
One of my dear friends, Governor Spencer Cox, someone I deeply respect and who leads from the moderate middle, responded with words that hit me squarely in the heart:
“Log off. Turn off. Touch grass. Hug a family member. Go out and do good in your community.”
— Governor Spencer Cox
So that’s what I did. I canceled all non-essential meetings. My wife and I planted five fruit trees: two peach, one apple, one pear, and one cherry. We put our philosophy into practice.
I don’t know what the future holds, and I doubt that I will be here in 40 years, but I refuse to give in to fear or division. I choose stability, freedom, expression, and hope for my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
My invitation to you is simple:
Take a breath. Slow down.
Touch the earth. Plant something. Ground yourself.
Reach out. Do a kindness. Hug someone. Seek to understand.
Fear will always shout. But history shows that hope endures. Let’s calm the rhetoric, disagree better, and build a future worthy of those who will come after us.
—With Hope,
Rich
