Six years ago, I saw hate on the rise toward American Muslims. This hate was carefully cultivated by well-funded, flag-pinned profiteers. If you demonize a faith of 1.8 billion people you can sell a lot of weapons. Ibram X. Kendi, in his book “Stamped From the Beginning,” proposes that racism starts with economic interests, gets expressed in policies that benefit a few, and becomes rationalized by propaganda, that then creates racist feelings and attitudes in the population.

This begins an ever-expanding cycle of violence. When we learn to hate one group, hate toward another is an inevitable next step. Meanwhile the profiteers buy another beach house thinking their Pandora’s box of hate will not impact their gated community.

So, five years ago I left my career as a parish pastor in Lutheran and Episcopalian churches to counter this hate.

Ervin Staub, a survivor of the Nazis, has studied dehumanization processes.

The key to counter dehumanization, he teaches, is for members of the majority to actively and publicly stand with the dehumanized.

Since that time, I have engaged over 250 community groups, often creating space for American Muslim voices.

Working to counter hate toward one group, the hate toward others is diminished.

As many rabbis have said to me, “You are also countering anti-Semitism.” As people are freed from the terrible bonds of fear and hate toward one group, they are invited into a broader change process.

My “why” is simple and complex: As a Lutheran pastor, I have learned the terrible consequences of denial, passivity and active participation in 1930-40s Germany. Being in a tradition is to learn from its mistakes and act differently.

As an American, I long for us to live up to our aspirational constitutional values. We have not lived up to our stated values toward our indigenous, black, brown and LGBTQ siblings and so diminished life for all. As a human being, I have experienced what it is like to be bullied and excluded. This gives me the beginning of compassion for those who are systematically oppressed.

I see our nation walking the path of fear, hate and violence and I believe we do not have to live this way. We the people can still form a more perfect union. To do so we the people need move from passive disagreement to active work.

We are in an unprecedented moment. The programming of social media gets us hooked on rage. It suggests more enraging posts until we are radicalized by a vision of the world curated by programming and our own confirmation bias. We are all paying the price as individuals, families and as a nation.

So, what are you going to do?

Have courageous conversation with people around you. Listen to people’s fears without buying into them. Find shared values. Share positive stories about our fellow citizens. Support your local journalists. Become an active citizen. Check in with your neighbors. Find your “why.”

I still believe in us. It is not too late if we act together.

Kyllo is the executive director of Paths to Understanding, bridging bias and building unity through multi-faith peacemaking, built on the foundational work of Rabbi Levine and Father Treacy.