182. Tulsi Gabbard | For The Love of Country

Hello, Book Thinkers family, and welcome to our personal development podcast, Book Thinkers Life-Changing Books. During each episode, we interview one of the world's top authors, and as a listener, you can expect to discover new books, new mentors, and new resources that you can use to achieve more and live better. In today's episode, we have the pleasure to interview Tulsi Gabbard, author of For the Love of Country. Tulsi is a former United States congresswoman, ran for president of the United States in 2020, is a veteran, a surfer, a soldier, and author. This episode is a special one, not only because of the important topics Tulsi talks about, but also because our good friend and mentor Ken Rusk was able to join us as a guest host. In this episode, you'll learn about the importance of being who you are, what spirituality has taught Tulsi, why you need to live a life that is true in order to have fulfillment and happiness, the power of the Constitution of the United States, what the spirit of aloha is, why thinking for yourself is more important than ever, and why it's time to stand in unity. Now get ready to learn and enjoy this incredible conversation with Tulsi Gabbard.

Tulsi Gabbard, former congresswoman, Ran for president in 2020. Veteran, surfer, soldier. I am really excited for our conversation today. Now I want to jump right into it. So here's my first question. It's a 2-part question. First part, when did you originally join the Democratic Party? And then part 2, what did it represent back then that it no longer represents anymore?

I first joined the Democratic Party in 2002. I was 21 years old. Knew that I wanted to pursue a path of service with my life. And up until that point, had never ever thought that running for office might be where that path would lead. But I wanted, you know, I was working in my community and organizing beach cleanups and trying to just improve my home and take care of my home. But I saw an opportunity with an open state house seat to actually be in a position to make more of a positive impact. I didn't grow up in a partisan home, so there was no ingrained, well, you will be a Republican or you will be a Democrat. And so I really had to reflect myself and think about which party I felt more aligned with at that time. And what I saw with the Democratic Party in Hawaii and why I chose to join that party and run as a Democrat in that race was a party that both in Hawaii's history but also with some of our most well-known national figures, with President JFK and Martin Luther King, uh, leaders who really stood for the people, leaders who stood for free speech, leaders who understood and actually valued individual thought and free speech and civil liberties and what it meant to actually live free in our society. There were a number of reasons, but it ultimately led down to recognizing a party that defended freedom and stood up for the little guy, was concerned about conservation and protecting the natural resources that Mother Nature provides. And that was ultimately why I chose to run as a Democrat. Fast forward now, a lot has happened since 2002. And unfortunately, the Democratic Party of today nationally is unrecognizable from the party that I joined and has gone so far away from those core fundamental principles that attracted me. And even worse than just saying that they've lost their way, they're actively seeking to try to undermine those fundamental principles of freedom. and liberty that are enshrined in the Constitution. And, and it, it, it places us as the American people in a very dangerous position.

So yeah, I'd love to, I'd love to add to that. And by the way, thank you so much for your service. It is, it is an honor to talk to you. It really is.

Likewise, Ken.

Thank you so much. I mean, I, I, we, I just, I'm a conservative. I'm, I'm, I'm a patriotic person. I fly the flag every day. I light it up at night. I mean, You know, some of those things are going away, which which is sad, and and that's what I wanted to ask about. So, you know, I'm a little bit older than you, and maybe a lot older than you, and I remember the days of you know Newt Gingrich and Tip O'Neill and the deal making, and and there was there was people in in government that at least got along, and they tried to do what was right for the country first. And I see today, I see. You know, reasonable Democrats and reasonable Republicans. And I hear their positions and I think these are smart people. These are people that could affect some really awesome change in our country. And yet they're silenced by, you know, the machine of Nancy Pelosi. They're silenced by the, the, some of, some of the leadership. They can't even get their great ideas out to the floor. And I just wondered, what is it like to become a congressperson and, and realize when you get there that the game is kind of rigged and you, you can't even, you can't even affect anything? What's that like?

Super frustrating. Um, you know, being elected to Congress, I was elected in 2012, uh, from Hawaii representing Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District, and Hawaii is a fairly strong Democrat state, has been for, for decades, for all of my life. And, and it was interesting to me because one of the complaints that I got from one of my constituents when I went home shortly after being in Congress, I was— I think it was on Maui. This guy came up to me at a farmer's market and he just said, Tulsi, I love everything that you're doing and how you're tackling this issue and you're trying to solve problems. My only complaint is you are working with too many Republicans. You gotta cut that out. And, you know, I laughed and I had a great conversation with him and just shared with him why it is important that if you voted for me to go and do a job and to actually solve problems and get things done, not just sit in a room with people who, you know, may pat each other on the back and agree with each other, but not actually get anything done. And so he walked away a happy customer. Um, but, but the problem that you're speaking of, um, it is unfortunately inherent in both political parties in Washington by those— and is being propagated by those who care more for power than they do for the people. And I'll give you a couple of quick examples here. My first or second year in Congress, um, I made a concerted effort to reach out and build relationships with both Democrats and Republicans Exactly for the reason that we're talking about. We got to find common ground, even if it's on one thing, so that we can actually do the work of the people. And so we started, you know, every morning we'd go and we had a bipartisan workout group that met every morning at 6:30 in the gym. And we worked out together. We pushed each other. You know, we talked smack to each other in the gym and really built sincere friendships that many of which have lasted to this day. For others who weren't the gym rat types, we would go and we'd have bipartisan dinners once a week or once every other week. And it really struck me when a good friend of mine who was a Republican in Congress, one of those first dinners she had was there on Capitol Hill. And I remember her looking around the restaurant and saying, gosh, I hope no one takes a picture of me here with you guys, Democrats. Because if my district saw those pictures, they would fire me and I'd never hear the end of it. And I've heard the same thing on the Democrat side, people who are concerned about a backlash for merely having dinner with or having a conversation with people of the other party. It has unfortunately gotten to a point where for someone like me, I've always been an independent thinker. I have challenged the Democratic Party throughout the time I was in Congress, as vice chair of the DNC, as a presidential candidate in 2020. And for doing so, that same kind of fear and stigma that you see sometimes from one party to the other, I had people in my own party who would cross to the other side of the street because they didn't want to risk being seen walking alongside me or something like that. It's, it's a sad state of affairs, and, and it all can be traced back to a lot of what you'll see in my book. The problems that I'm pointing out in my book, For Love of Country, it is rooted in people that we have voted for to serve the people who end up caring more for preserving or growing their own power than actually setting aside their selfish interests and working for the people.

Wow. Tulsi, uh, referring to your book, one of the things that I learned in the beginning of your book is that aloha is much more than a greeting. Alo means to share, and ha refers to the eternal life force within each of us. And I love that you said that we're all sort of connected as children of God, but it does feel, you know, like I'm, I'm a 30-year-old kind of average American person. I grew up outside of Boston, Massachusetts, but Every corner of the internet feels divisive, and every conversation around politics feels like you're on the wrong side or you're on the right side. And so that feeling of unity, it's missing. And so I'm wondering, obviously it's happening from a political perspective, but it's also happening boots on the ground. The average American is feeling that lack of unity as well. What are some, some perspective changes that maybe we can adopt to get back to a place of unity?

I so— I appreciate you bringing this up because it is both the problem that you are correctly identifying, that we are so divided based on a whole host of things. Yes, oftentimes it's political party or which candidate you voted for or against, but we're also being divided based on the color of our skin or our social status or, you know, where'd you go to school or all of these different things. That are arbitrarily tearing us apart and intentionally so in many cases and covering up what is most important, what actually binds us together at a very spiritual level. What you're talking about, what aloha refers to, is that recognition that we are all children of God and we're connected in a spiritual sense, the most important identity. And we are also Americans connected to each other in this country that remains the greatest country in the world, even as troubling of a time we are living in. We— if we remember these 2 important things that connect us and bind us together, then we are reminded of the fact that, well, what is it that we share as Americans in this country? It is the inalienable rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It is the future and the opportunity that our founders laid out for us in the Declaration of Independence. These founding documents remind us of the power that we hold in our hands, and with that power comes that responsibility. So we can commiserate all day about the challenges and the problems and, you know, this group or that group or those in power trying to take our power and rights and individual freedoms away from us. But unless we take that next step and say, well, whether you're a Democrat or Republican or, you know, you like Joe Biden or you like Donald Trump, whatever your thing may be, We cannot, we cannot live free as Americans unless we are willing to stand together and defend that freedom. And in this election, you know, I took a little longer writing this book than I had planned, but the timing of this is actually quite critical and relevant given the choices every one of us will have to make in this upcoming election. And so the call to action in this book is really clear. It really is about how we have to come together and save our country. It's not one versus the other, or this group is right and that group is wrong. We have to see the truth, think critically, ask tough questions, hold leaders accountable, and hold ourselves accountable and responsible for creating the kind of more perfect union that we want, not only for ourselves, but we want to be able to persist and exist For, for generations who will come after us.

You know, so well said. Absolutely. And thank you for that. You know, it reminds me of the waiting for Superman or waiting for Superwoman type of thing. You know, we need that person out there that, that can kind of glue us all back together, right? So, you know, you're talking about children, and I really feel bad for my kids, my daughter, and, and, and even her My granddaughter, who's only four months old. I feel bad for the kids that are growing up today because when when I grew up in government, I loved watching Ronald Reagan speak, and I loved watching things happen in a cooperative sense. You know, again, the Tip O'Neills, the Newt Gingrich. I mean, these people that tried to create what was good for our country. So, you know, sometimes I think. We gotta just shift to the children now, okay? And, and kind of bring them up in a way where they'll feel proud to be Americans. They'll, they'll, they'll understand like so many people do. My, my brother just attended a party where 2 of his friends became citizens, and they were like, you have no idea where we came from, what, what, how, what the tragedies we endured to come to this country. You got to be careful not to lose what you guys have here. So let me challenge you a little bit. You're on a stage right now and you're in front of 10,000 parents, okay? And they all have kids that are, I don't know, 6 to 12 years old. What do you say to them to say, hey guys, gals, we need to just stop this thing and we need to like reset this thing and we need to bring these children up to understand how fortunate they are, how honorable it is to be an American. And, um, and quit this petty fighting and just kind of move forward with what's best for everybody. What would you say to them?

Recognize and, and show your children, teach your children about how within every challenge, each of us as individuals have the opportunity, uh, to, to be that, be the change, be the solution. So many of our kids right now, and it starts at home, And it starts in our schools and in our education system. So many kids now are not being taught about the Constitution. They're not being taught about our history and both the most amazing and hopeful things, but also the really ugly things about our past. And in the midst of that ugliness, and I talk about this in the book because it's such a teachable moment that applies to where we are right now, where Martin Luther King, as an example, civil rights icon, a preacher, someone who embodied what it means to face adversity and hate with love, to face violence with peace. And I talk in the book about how sharing his words that he spoke at a church service at a funeral for one of his friends who was killed by a law enforcement officer at a peaceful civil rights protest. And this was at a time when the natural— and, and, and it's totally understandable why so many of his, his peers were saying, hey, the time for peace is, is past. They're— they are literally killing us and we have to respond with, with strength and violence. This is one of many examples of where Martin Luther King showed us how to come together and how to unite even in the face of adversity by exploiting the potential that our founders saw for us as Americans. Instead of seeing, you know, our past as a negative thing or an oppressive thing, again, which could be understandable, he brought those words of our founding fathers forward. to remind us that all men are created equal and that every one of us is endowed with these inalienable rights and that we must do our part individually to bring about that more perfect union. It breaks my heart today when I see— and maybe you experience the same thing, Ken— when I see friends of mine who are veterans who have kids who are starting to, you know, approach graduating from high school, and even them as veterans are telling them, don't join the military. Don't join the military. The leadership is not honoring what it actually means to wear the uniform, which is a statement that I agree with in many ways. But we need to instill those values and those principles and that pride that encourages an entire generation of young people to consider, how can I best serve my country? And if that be in uniform, then go and serve our country in uniform. It may be as a teacher or a nurse or, you know, someone who is paving the streets and making sure that our communities are safe. There are so many ways to serve, but bringing back and reinstilling those fundamental values at home and at school, this is where we have to start.

You know, parents are kind of like the traffic cops, right? between their child's, you know, childhood and their adulthood. They're kind of like the gatekeeper. And but they rely, I think, way too much on the advice of teachers and colleges who may not have their kids' best interest in mind other than the indoctrination part of it. So that's the scary thing for me, is, is parents have such a responsibility to be aware enough to say, you know, I got to be careful where I put you know, my son or daughter because they come back a completely different person. And, um, yeah, there's another piece of the puzzle that I think we need to talk about.

It's a very, it's a very real thing. I, I'm staying with a friend of mine. I'm talking to you today from, uh, Los Angeles. I'm staying with a friend of mine who's, uh, went and had some conversations with his son's teachers who were starting to teach, uh, you know, and this is like middle school, they're starting to teach some of the elements of critical race theory. And my friend had some problems with what they were communicating to kids. And so he went and he had a conversation with— he did his research, first of all. He understood the issue in depth. He understood their argument and the counterargument. And he went and dressed them down and was able to shift the dialogue and shift the narrative of those teachers and his kids. School. But that, that goes to your point, is, you know, as parents, as community members, not just ceding our children's values and principles and education to others who, you know, unfortunately have shown over and over who don't have our kids' best interests at heart. And frankly, teachers who really do care— I have, I have the utmost respect for teachers But too often they're given a curriculum and an agenda and a narrative that's being dictated by a teachers union boss who's in Washington, D.C., who doesn't care about our kids. So it is, again, it comes, all these paths lead to freedom and liberty, in my opinion, and why it's so important for parents to have school choice, to be able to say, you know what, my kid will learn best being homeschooled. Or my kid will learn best in this, you know, skills-related school in this specific field. Whatever the case may be, when we as a people have more rights and more freedom and more liberty, it comes with responsibility. But we should have that right and responsibility to make the best choices and also to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes.

Oh, I love that responsibility piece. Chelsea, I just got married last year, and my wife and I will be starting our family soon. And we're already having discussions about, do we homeschool once our kids are of age? Because the options in Massachusetts specifically aren't great right now. I have a few family members that are middle school teachers, and they're trying to enact some change, but it's very difficult. And so here's my question. I was reading a little bit about how important this book is to you, and I know our connection's a little blurry, so this is the Bhagavad Gita right here. And as a personal development enthusiast with, you know, a pretty good Indian follower base, I've definitely studied this book quite a bit. And one of my favorite lines from the book says, quote, man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is. And so we're growing up right now in this era where there are lies and hypocrisy and limits on freedom. And I feel like If that's what your belief system, what your fundamentals are made out of, like, of course your life is going to be full of anxiety and depression and crazy and divisive and you're always fighting. So my question is like, what are some of your self-beliefs around responsibility and what does your self-talk look like? Like, how are you trying to be of service to, to as many people as possible, but also to yourself? I'm sitting here today with Ken Rusk, who has done hundreds of millions of dollars in business. He's also sold tens of thousands of books and changed countless lives. We're sitting here today because he is sponsoring today's episode. So Ken, tell everybody about your course.

Well, thank you. I built a course called The Path to a Successful Life. It's designed around trying to get somebody unstuck. You know, sometimes you're feeling like you're kind of stuck in where you are and you're not really sure what you want your life to look like or how to go about getting it. Well, for the cost of about dinner and a movie and maybe the time you'd spend on a weekend, you can exactly what you want your future to look like and how to go about getting it.

You know the power of vision. That's why you watch podcasts like this. So, click the link below, get signed up, and let me know what your experience is like. Hmm.

There's so many things I want to touch on there in your question. First of all, I was homeschooled and I highly encourage it for those parents who are considering it. I'm the 4th of 5 kids and I talk a little bit about my my education in the book, but I loved it. And I know that my parents choosing to raise us and educate us in this way helped me to be that kind of critical thinker, really examining not only different life decisions, but, you know, as a policymaker in Congress, to look at each issue for what it was rather than just to be a blind conformist and follower and to not be afraid to challenge those and ask what sometimes seem like the easy stupid question, but is often the question that's most important and never asked. So on the homeschooling front, there's so many tools available. I am so grateful that I had that opportunity because it gave me a sense of freedom as a kid growing up to be able to make a lot of decisions and benefit from a lot of learning experiences I wouldn't have had if I had gone through that more conventional schooling route. The scripture in the book that you just brought up, the Bhagavad Gita, is such a powerful text. There's many different translations of this scripture that comes from India and was originally written in Sanskrit. The book that I— the translation that I have read and reread throughout my life is Bhagavad Gita as it is. And what Bhagavad Gita means is Song of God. And this is a scripture that is non-sectarian. It is timeless, and it is full of very relevant and applicable wisdom and teachings that I have held near and dear to my heart and continue to be inspired by throughout my life. At the core, there's two more things I want to say, and I'm going to try not be too long-winded here. There's a lot, but that that passage that you reference really speaks to the fact, which is so important for us and helpful in everyday life, which is to recognize that you are not your mind. That sometimes we think like, oh, I've got a feeling or I've got a thought, and that's who I am, and I have to. Chase it and like allow your mind and whatever's going on up there to control you rather than knowing the truth, which is you have the power to control your mind. And your real identity is that spiritual eternal spirit within. You know, it's an easy thing to say, but it is a powerful thing and a daily practice, frankly, to separate That and to exercise that kind of discipline in your life, something that is part of my daily meditation and that daily practice. And then in those choices that you make, when you recognize that you are the one making decisions for yourself, which includes how you spend your time, what you're thinking about, what information are you receiving, what information are you putting out, What kinds of actions are you taking? In my personal life, and there are chapters dedicated to this in that scripture, the Bhagavad Gita, as it is bhakti yoga and karma yoga. Yoga is a very popular term. It means so much more than, you know, the exercises and the stretching your body in different directions. Bhakti yoga essentially means doing your best to live your life trying to love God, live your life in a way that is in union with God's will. And karma yoga— karma is also a popular word, but what karma really means is action. You can choose to take good actions or bad actions. You can— karma yoga is the daily practice of trying to be of service to God through positive actions, actions that have a positive impact. on others. And regardless of who you are or how you worship God or your own spiritual practice, whatever it may be, these are 2 daily practices that, that I personally engage in and that guide the decisions that I make in my life and, and the answer to my question and reflection, which is how best can I be of service?

I happen to be the 4th of 5 children as well. And lived in a very small town in a very small house, and we had we had we had none of these things. I'm referring to screens that we stared at all day long when I was younger, and I'm thankful for that because I got to go outside and learn how to fix things, repair things, create things, break things, and then fix them again. You know, use go out in the yard and play and do things for real rather than I built actual tree forts rather than building. something on a screen called Minecraft or whatever. It's a completely different experience. I'm assuming you did the same thing.

You and me both.

So the greatest part about that is that we became well-rounded individuals, self-sufficient, okay? And, um, I, I fear that the kids today are like so stuck to these screens and they don't get a lot of that same, um, that a lot of that same experience. And that leads me to the vision part, because I think so many people, because they have reacted to stimulus their whole life growing up, the screen said this, so I should do that. You know, it's just a— they live these totally reactionary lives. And because they never immerse themselves in going out and doing the things that you and I did when we were younger, okay? Going out into the yard and exploring and doing those things, they have a lack of vision. Okay, they they grow up waiting for life to happen to them instead of them happening to life. Okay, they they say you know they lay they live these if then scenarios. You know if I go to high school and if I get good grades and if if I go to college and if I get a scholarship and if I get a degree and then if I get a job then I can live my life. When it should really be the opposite of that. I think people need to start with the vision that God gave us, the ability to see what we want our lives to look like first, and then find the pathways, of which there are many, to go chase those things down. And I fear that, I fear that these kids are so programmed now that they don't get taught, well, I don't know, what do you think? How do you see it? What color would you make it? How big would you build it? What horsepower would that thing have? What charity would you give back? What would your vacation look like? What are the dreams that you see for yourself that we can put down on paper to make a reality? How do you, how do you see— and that's a simple thing, Tulsi. It's such a simple thing to teach. It goes back to what you were saying earlier about some of the simplest messages are the ones that we just don't teach. I wonder what your thoughts were on the programming of kids today.

Oh gosh. You know, again, I think it starts with those decisions at home. Like you said, we didn't grow up with the cell phone screens, but even for us in our house, my parents very extremely limited what we were allowed to watch on television and how much of it. And so there were 2 educational kids shows we were allowed to watch. And the rest of the time, They literally sometimes they'd like put the TV in their room and lock the door. So when they weren't home, it wasn't like go and sneak and watch the TV time. But it forced us, my sister and I, we read books nonstop, nonstop. We were outside playing, we were doing martial arts, we were out in the water, we were surfing, we were hiking, all of it. And for me, it's what, It gave me an appreciation for our home and Mother Nature and the kind of clarity and peace and fun and joy that came with all of those experiences. And so, you know, I think that there's no turning back the clock. You know, I feel like I'm getting older and I'm like, yeah, back in the old days, you know, when I was a kid. And I just think there's a way for, parents and teachers and leaders, influencers, you know, that's a real thing in this modern digital age. Kids are being taught and learning a lot from those digital influencers. I think it's important for us to look at the reality of the world that we're living in and try to, in our own ways, serve as good examples. You know, parents have a great responsibility to make these decisions in how they raise their kids. I'm not going to presume to go and dictate to them what they must or must not do. But, you know, every one of us, both of you and even others who may not realize how much influence they have, think about the example that we are setting for ourselves. For me, what am I putting out in the world? Obviously, I talk a lot about politics, but talk about life and even, you know, sharing some of the things that I do for fun. The things that I find are, you know, inspire creativity. I like to cook. I like to shoot guns. I like fitness. I like health and nutrition. All these different things and knowing, because I hear from parents sometimes and I hear from young girls, for example, who are just saying like, gosh, I want to be like you one day. And it's a humbling thing to hear, but I also, I find it encouraging and I encourage them to to explore and find their own path. You know, I, I don't— there's, there's no cookie-cutter person that I'm chasing, uh, but learn and grow from the different influences in your life and make those good choices. Make those discerning choices for yourself. And I think that's the most important thing because you're not going to put the digital influence back in the box with AI and all this other stuff. This is a, this is a very real force in our society, and that will change and evolve as time goes on. So if we're instilling young people and people of all ages really with, with this discernment, the critical thinking— don't accept a headline just because it's a headline, it may be completely false. Think for yourself. Make those positive decisions that first impact how you are choosing to live your life. And then, the next layer out is how you are choosing to impact others, whether they be your family or your friends or your coworkers. And then, take it out from there. But again, there's themes in our conversation here. It starts with yourself and taking that individual responsibility and making those positive choices. And when you screw up and you make a mistake or you make a bad choice, don't just be like, oh man, I failed and everything is horrible. Like, all right, cool. We're humans. We all make mistakes. Pick back up the next day. If you ate a bunch of junk food last night, cool. Go for a walk or go for a run this morning and have a protein shake instead of another piece of pizza. You know what I mean? It's like the little things and the big things.

And also remember that there's somebody up above watching all those choices, right? Like, like we were brought up to believe, right?

Yes.

I still believe that to this day.

Yes. And to not be, and to not be motivated Don't get stuck in the trap of being motivated by fear. Fear of, of God, who's, who knows our hearts and everything that we do, or fear of others and what they're going to think of us, or fear of, you know, what, whatever, wherever that fear, or fear of, fear of making a mistake. We can be crippled by fear.

Sure.

In so many different ways in our lives. Instead, and this comes back to that message of aloha that you mentioned, is, is if we are grounded in our true identity, and we are motivated by love and a desire to make a positive impact, yes, we're going to make mistakes. But, but building those relationships and those friendships, whether it be with our friends or, or our personal relationship with God, we will find true happiness when we are motivated and inspired by love.

Fantastic.

I think so too. Tulsi, I love something you just brought up. In my own way of kind of reiterating it, social media can be a positive and constructive place if you start with yourself. Who do you follow? What types of people are you paying attention to? If you follow Tulsi Gabbard and Ken Rusk and the Book Thinkers page, you're getting positive, constructive, well-thought content that tries to make you a better person. And then also the outer self, like What are you putting on social media? Are you the type of person that you would want to follow? And I think that those are important questions to ask yourself. So as we get ready to wrap up here, I'd like to ask one final question on my side, and then we'll kick it to Ken and see if he has one more. In your book, For Love of Country, you talked about a sign on the north gate of your camp in Iraq, and it read, is today the day? And you said that it bore into your consciousness. So Could you tell us a little bit about why right now is the time to act and what we should be paying attention to in this next presidential cycle?

You know, that sign that was ever-present throughout my year in Iraq— I was there for just about all of 2005— was a daily reminder that death can come at any moment. And that's not a morbid statement. It's not a statement of that should cause depression. It is just a fact of life that as long as we are alive, death is certain. But, but it should not be something that invokes fear. Knowing and accepting that fact and that reality allows us to reflect on a daily basis of this question, am I making the most of this time that I have? Am I making the most of the blessings that I've been given? Unfortunately, there were many friends of mine and so many lives that that were lost in that specific war, and their time came maybe sooner than they had expected. This this question is today the day is such an important one, not only for those of us who are operating as as soldiers in a war zone, but really for every one of us. in our lives because we just never know. And making the most of every day and every breath that we have allows us to live that truly fulfilling and happy life if we choose to do so.

Yeah, my final question is more of a statement, Tulsi. First off, again, thank you for your time today. Thank you for allowing me to camp on With with this interview, and thank you for your service. It I started the Comfort, Peace, and Freedom Foundation to help people just in in that that came out of those types of of theaters, and and they just need some help seeing what their future could look like. And all I talk about is you're in control of your own vision. You're in control of your own future. Let's see what that looks like and find the path to go get there. My kids, my daughter, my son-in-law, they, they, they love Tulsi Gabbard. They love how pragmatic you are and, and how, how, what, what it seems to just make sense, right? What she says just makes sense versus what we're hearing on TV and what we're seeing. So all I can tell you is, um, I hope that, uh, you've inspired a lot of people, and I hope that we get to see more of you, um, helping to run this country of ours because There is so many things that we need to fix that are simple fixes that that are going to take some unnerving and some unseating of some you know some of the typical things that that we have to deal with and we have to put up with in government today. So again, thank you for everything you do, and I hope that I hope that we see you again helping this great country.

Thank you. Thank you so much, and please tell your kids I said thank you and aloha and. To you both, really thanks for the opportunity to come and have this have this really important conversation. Yes, we talked about my book and and it will be out soon. It's available for pre-order now. But the the underlying themes that we talked about, I think, are the most important things for us to to be able to share in the world right now at a time when a lot of people feel hopeless. A lot of people feel like they have no control over what's happening in their lives or in the country. And the call to action really in my book, as I mentioned it in the beginning and I close it out at the very end of the book, is our founders very carefully chose the words in our founding documents. It's we the people. Our government exists with the consent of the governed. We can change our future and save our country and defend freedom if we choose to do so. If we stay home, if we do nothing, if we put our head in the sand and just hope that something miraculous will occur, we will unfortunately find ourselves in an increasingly darker and more evil place where the freedoms that we have maybe taken for granted throughout our lives. are no longer there and this country that we love will be lost.

That's a fact, Tulsi. And I am not somebody who has spoken up from a political perspective very much. We've tried, we've tried to remain, I don't know, we've tried to remain out of the political book spotlight, but I feel totally aligned with everything that you've mentioned today. And I think that just like you said, if you put your head down in the sand and you just hope it's all going to pass, it just gets worse. And so This is, uh, my opportunity to have a little bit of influence and to stand up and speak a little bit. So one more time, Tulsi, For Love of Country launching April 30th. Where should people go to pre-order a copy of the book?

Here, here's the, uh, the COVID of the book. You can go and purchase it now at amazon.com, or you can go to my website tulsigabard.com, and you can order a signed, uh, a signed copy Um, from my website. So either way is good, uh, whether you're buying it for yourself or you're buying it for a friend who you think maybe needs to hear a little bit more of this truth, common sense, and this message. Uh, I appreciate your support and I hope you like the book.

That is a wrap. Thank you so much for listening to today's episode of Book Thinkers. life-changing books. It would mean the world to us if you could write a review and share this episode with a few of your friends. I mean, these books truly have the power to change people's lives, and by reviewing or sharing our podcast, you're helping us make an impact. If you have any recommendations for future guests or any constructive feedback for us on how we can improve our show, please feel free to submit a form on our website, www.bookthinkers.com, or send us a direct message on Instagram @bookthinkers. With that, I am signing off, and I hope you have a wonderful day. Don't forget, go read something.