Weston author releases new book, ‘Letters to Mikey’

Glenn Cort has months of research behind him to support his conviction that all people are inherently good.

It is a message he shares in his book “Letters to Mikey” and in the curriculum he was inspired to develop.

It began in 2020 with a volunteer teaching assignment in Boston, with a group of 30 high school seniors.

“I was so excited getting to know them and getting involved with the materials and the course. Quickly it became very apparent to me that we were all struggling to understand changes in our society – almost like the world was spinning on its axis faster than we knew how to slow down,” said the Weston resident.

In March, the class was forced to move to an online platform as everything shut down because of the pandemic. But the general malaise was not due to Covid, Cort said, but rather changes in society.

At his son Michael’s high school graduation in 2021, he saw evidence that kids were struggling with what he calls the “political dysfunction” in the country.

In July, when Cort sat down to write his son a birthday letter, he found he couldn’t finish it.

“My experience with these students who were down and cynical about America – I felt what they were experiencing was so significant,” Cort said.

He quit his job and headed to the Weston Public Library, where he spent months reading and learning.

“I went back to learn and explore whether or not there was any truth to reality for this world, any reasons for hope and optimism,” he said.

He studied the works of great philosophers, going back to Cicero and historians, among others. What he found, he says, is that humans “have more good traits than bad ones.”

“I truly believe that it is amazing to be human,” he said.

Three years later, he finished that letter to his son, turning it into a book titled “Letters to Mikey.”

Written for teenagers, the book outlines what he learned about human nature.

“The book is about my exploration and my journey to see if we can overcome the political dysfunction. I believe in my heart of hearts that we can, and we will, because of the things I learned in the library,” Cort said.

After he wrote the book, he created a website to chronicle the information he had used to write it. Then he took it a step further and assembled an advisory board, formed a nonprofit called Getting Along Academy and created a curriculum that provides a framework for achieving three virtues: humility, balance and responsibility.

Cort believes these virtues are the key to happiness, and he is not alone.

“There are hundreds of organizations representing millions of people that are in agreement that acting with humility, balance and responsibility is good for individuals, as well as a society, and they agree millions and millions of people in America are mainly balanced and moderate,” Cort said.

The curriculum, called “The Fantastic Truth Which Could Unite Us,” is not religious or political and “it’s not judgy and it’s not preachy.” The key, he says, is getting today’s youth to understand the power of these virtues.

“I believe it’s a counterbalance to negativity,” Cort said.

The curriculum is divided into three parts.

The first part presents scientifically based evidence that people are born with fundamental goodness.

“We have a unique ability to reason, and we have a unique ability to understand right from wrong, and we have a unique ability to be empathetic and compassionate for others,” Cort said. “Those things can be scientifically proven.”

The second part looks at research that considers why, if people are born good, bad traits, such as bitterness, resentment, hate and criminality, rise to the surface.

The third part of the curriculum sets out to convince future generations that humility, balance and responsibility are key to counteracting these bad traits.

The curriculum has not officially launched, and Cort is looking for schools and camps to pilot it and suggest improvements. The curriculum is free.

“We need to be able to show anecdotal evidence that this multi-pronged platform is working,” he said.

There are a number of tools on the website to help people deliver the curriculum.

“Ultimately, I want our kids to not struggle with the issues we are all struggling with today,” he said.

For information about Getting Along and to read excerpts from “Letters to Mikey,” visit gettingalong.com.