NYT Opinion / Stanley McChrystal - Be Not Afraid (Gift Article)

April 13, 2025, 6:00 a.m. ET
By Stanley McChrystal
General McChrystal is retired from the Army and the author of the forthcoming “On Character: Choices That Define a Life.”

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We live in a world of instability — jobs vanish, institutions falter, narratives shift by the hour. Every word we say, every action we take, is scrutinized, recorded and judged. The threat of digital mobs and public shaming doesn’t protect us; it paralyzes us. It breeds hesitation, then withdrawal, then division.

Fear isolates. It pushes us into ideological bunkers, surrounding us only with those who think like us. And when fear festers, it mutates. What begins as anxiety turns into resentment. Resentment hardens into hatred. Hatred strips away our ability to see others as people. The result is a society riven by suspicion and hostility.

There is no magic cure for fear. But there is an antidote: rules.

Rules are not shackles. They are the foundation of order. They define the boundaries that allow us to function, ensuring fairness and predictability. For over two centuries, the U.S. Constitution has been our guiding framework, enduring war, crisis and division. It has been tested, yet it holds.

But the rules that matter most — the ones that govern character — are also in peril. The loss of external structure is one thing. The loss of internal discipline is another. Too many have abandoned the basic principles of integrity, decency and respect. Without these, society does not simply fray; it collapses.

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