I had a dream. In it, America regained its greatness, and I realized the path back to that greatness lies in the middle, not at the extremes.

I dreamed that we rediscovered our moral compass. After that, the way back became obvious. A country without a soul, like a person without one, is lost.

In my dream, the people of America found their way back by going back to our fundamental beliefs. Change serves no good purpose when it’s not beneficial.

Our moral compass, more than two centuries old, teaches that we are one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. We are a nation of laws where the laws of our creator and nature are to be respected, and all men are created equal.

My dream made today the starting point for a revival of greatness making America the hope of a free world once again.

Responsibility and accountability, combined with compassion, as we all worked together to heal our divided land.

In my dream, all our problems became addressed with logic and reason, not political partisanship or fringe extremism.

Patriotism became the vogue again, with what is best for the United States the determining factor in all things.

Our No. 1 concern is for the safety of our country and its people, the most critical job given to every president and to Congress.

Our moral compass and history teaches us that resolve supported by strength is the only successful approach for our protection.

In my dream, we met the enemy in an unequivocal united front with whatever it takes to preserve that for which so many have made the ultimate sacrifice.

I dreamed that free market capitalism was embraced again, and that business and labor joined forces to incentivize investment in new, better-paying jobs to improve the economic plight of all Americans, while ceasing the historically fatal call for collectivism and redistribution of wealth. My dream had Americans praising success and working hard to find it for themselves.

I dreamed of an America that continues to welcome others to our shores, but with a sensible plan to control illegal immigration. That plan does not include blanket amnesty for those who are here illegally and sanctuary cities where criminals are protected. We are a nation of immigrants, but those who join us must follow the same rules that all who came before them have followed, and they must learn to assimilate as soon as possible.

My dream envisioned no discrimination against anybody — not for their religious beliefs or for their personal lifestyle choices.

Traditional marriage and the right to life were bedrock principals in our moral compass long before the assault on each.

And as I dreamed on, there was no gender warfare, designed for political purposes to pit women against men, by using abortion to divide them. In my dream, while people recognized that Roe v. Wade is the law of the land, they also used common sense and compassion, and ruled out the most offensive abortion approaches, such as partial birth, late term, no parental consent for minor children and the horrific harvesting for sale of the body parts of unborn babies.

In my dream, as Americans, we all had available to us affordable health care. We came together, to respect one another, and to agree on civility rather than rancor in our debate about the issues.

I dreamed that once again each of us questioned our love of country and of each other. Then we came to our senses and decided that America united truly is beautiful, that our country is a great land of liberty.

We have reached a pivotal point in America’s history, but nobody can take our right to dream away from us.

A dream is a wish your heart makes, so dream, my fellow Americans, of a land united again, safe and strong from enemy attack. An America with more, better-paying jobs for all who want and need them. A country where there is no discrimination regardless of our beliefs, and compassion with willingness to help those unable to help themselves.

All of this is realistically possible, with a return to our moral compass and the fundamentals that made our country great.

Those who argue for further change in our moral compass and in our constitutional foundation — calling it progress — ignore the lessons of history and risk the future for our children and grandchildren.

Dream along with me. America has proven before, that together, we know how to make the American dream come true.

And we will do it again!

Don Roberts, a former city councilor and former vice chairman of the Charter Commission in Augusta, is a trustee of the Greater Augusta Utility District.