If you’ve ever been hijacked by your feelings, and done or said something you later regretted, you’ve probably tried thinking positively to try to get over the uncomfortable feeling. Or maybe you tried staying busy. Or reminding yourself things could be worse. But it doesn’t work, does it? Not because you’re doing it wrong. Suppressing or overriding feelings doesn’t make them go away. It just makes them wait. And then they show up at the worst possible moment: In a conversation you didn’t mean to derail… in a reaction that surprised even you… in a 3 A.M. spiral you can’t stop. What if the answer isn’t to get over your feelings, but to get bigger than them? This class will offer you a simple way to do this.

Each year the Foreign Policy Association publishes a booklet analyzing eight topics related to foreign policy it believes offer opportunities and/or risks to the United States. This discussion course expects participants to buy the “Great Decisions 2026 Edition” briefing book ($35), read the assigned material, and come to class prepared to offer individual insights and opinions. The booklet is available from the Foreign Policy Association via its website (https://fpa.org/product/great-decisions-2026/).