Every so often, a year arrives not merely as a calendar change, but as a moral summons. I believe 2026 is one of those years. Not because of who may be elected, what markets may do, or what technologies may disrupt—but because of who we choose to become. If we are serious about reclaiming sanity, strength, and purpose in our lives and our nation, then 2026 must become the year of what I call the Elevation Principle.
The Elevation Principle is simple in definition, but demanding in practice: start where you are—and elevate. Elevate your thinking. Elevate your skills. Elevate your relationships. Elevate your understanding of the world, of one another, and ultimately, of God. This is not about perfection. It’s about progress. It’s about refusing to stay intellectually lazy, morally stagnant, or spiritually disengaged.
At its core, the Elevation Principle rests on three pillars: knowledge basis, skill proficiency, and people ability.
These three together form the foundation for meaningful personal growth—and for national renewal.
Let’s start with knowledge.
We live in the most information-saturated age in human history, yet genuine understanding is increasingly rare. Opinions are loud, facts are optional, and narratives often replace truth. Elevation demands that we reverse that trend. It requires that we learn again—deeply, honestly, and humbly.
In public policy, this matters enormously. Too many Americans are disengaged from how government actually works, what powers are granted where, and how accountability is supposed to function. Civic ignorance has consequences. It allows incompetence to hide behind complexity and corruption to masquerade as inevitability.
Elevation means citizens who understand their role, their rights, and their responsibilities—and who are willing to hold elected officials to account, not emotionally, but intelligently.
In education, the knowledge crisis is even more acute. We have confused schooling with learning. Elevation demands a return to actual education—reading, reasoning, mathematics, science, history—rather than the cultural or ideological dictation that has crowded out curiosity and critical thinking. Children are not served by being turned into activists before they are taught to think. If 2026 is to mean anything, it must mark a renewed insistence that education form capable minds, not compliant echoes.
The second pillar is skill proficiency.
Elevation is not theoretical. It is practical. It asks a hard but necessary question: What am I bad at that I should get better at? Not tomorrow. Not someday. Now.
Whether it’s communication, discipline, emotional control, financial stewardship, or professional competence—growth requires honesty. Societies decline when mediocrity is excused and excellence is mocked. Elevation pushes back. It honors craftsmanship. It respects preparation. It restores dignity to effort.
This applies to families as much as careers. Strong families are not accidental. They are built through learned skills—listening, conflict resolution, patience, and yes, sacrificial gratitude. Elevation in the home means understanding one another better, communicating more clearly, and choosing selflessness over convenience. The family is still the most powerful institution shaping the future, and its renewal begins with personal elevation.
The third pillar is people ability.
We have lost the art of human regard. Too often, disagreement now justifies disdain. Elevation rejects that impulse. It insists that we treat one another with greater esteem, even—and especially—when we differ.
This does not mean abandoning truth or conviction. It means recognizing that persuasion is more powerful than contempt, and that influence flows from credibility, not cruelty. A nation elevated in people ability does not fracture at every disagreement; it sharpens itself through principled dialogue.
But above all—above policy, education, family, and skill—the Elevation Principle requires a right understanding of our human condition.
There is God. And He is not passive toward mankind.
This truth has been downplayed, dismissed, or caricatured for far too long. Yet history and human experience testify to it relentlessly: when societies acknowledge God, they gain moral clarity; when they deny Him, confusion follows. Elevation begins with humility—the recognition that we are not self-created, self-sustaining, or self-saving.
God is active. He is present. He is just. And He invites humanity not into stagnation, but into transformation. Elevation is not self-worship; it is stewardship—of minds, talents, relationships, and time.
Imagine what 2026 could become if enough individuals chose this path.
Greater knowledge replacing slogans.
Improved skills replacing excuses.
Deeper respect replacing reflexive hostility.
Renewed faith replacing despair.
That kind of elevation compounds. It spreads. It changes workplaces, families, communities—and eventually nations.
This is not a call for elites. It is a call for everyone. You. Me. All of us. Starting exactly where we are.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be inviting readers to take this journey more intentionally—to learn, to grow, to elevate together. Because the truth is this: 2026 will be whatever we decide to make it.
The question is simple.
Will we stay where we are—or will we rise?
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy Townhall’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join Townhall VIP and use promo code MERRY74 to get 74% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member