The Purpose of the Square

In earlier centuries, the public square was not just a physical place in a town. It was where neighbors gathered to exchange ideas, debate decisions, share news, and consider the direction of their community. The conversations were rarely simple, and they were rarely unanimous, but they were part of the process of self-government.

The Public Square section borrows from that spirit.

Sometimes that will mean revisiting history to understand how we arrived where we are. Other times it may mean reflecting on the tensions and challenges facing our communities today. And occasionally it will simply mean asking better questions about the future we hope to build.

The goal is not to look at our shared life through a partisan lens, but to widen our perspective. A healthy society requires citizens who can think deeply, listen carefully, and recognize that disagreement does not have to mean division.

Here in Indiana, our communities are filled with people of different experiences, convictions, and ideas about how the world should work. Yet we share the same towns, the same schools, the same roads, and ultimately the same future.

The Public Square exists as a reminder that civic life is not something that happens somewhere else, carried out only by distant institutions or national figures. It begins closer to home — in conversations between neighbors, in curiosity about how our systems work, and in a willingness to imagine something better together.

Each week, this space will offer a moment to slow down, reflect, and reenter the conversation.