There has never been a single historical situation where the marriage of sacred and secular power did not lead to the demise of democracy.
Each time these two forces join, their combined underbellies, no longer constrained by any external powers, emerge, magnified by the flaws of the other.
For much of the spring, we’ve been honored to host a pair of doves, whom I’ve named “Ozzie and Harriet” as they made their home the top of a post on our patio, giving us a decent view of their nest-building/parenting duties.
Last week, we watched them kick their latest offspring, Fred and Ethel, out of the nest and then thought they had left for good. Well, much to our surprise, Ozzie and Harriet are back. They rebuilt their nest on our patio and are already taking turns sitting on their third set of eggs for the season.
As I watch their single-minded devotion, I consider all the obstacles in their way. A blue jay frequently flies ominously close to the nest—they can be aggressive and attack or eat the eggs.
Our neighborhood is home to a clowder of bobcats, long-term residents. Although the sightings are not frequent, we’ve seen them in our backyard and stalking around the house. Those are just a couple of wild guesses as to the many challenges Ozzie and Harrit face in the hopes of having some surviving offspring.
The Ubiquitous Plastic Bag
Which brings me to my bags of plastic bags. These things are TERRIBLE for the environment and any living creatures that may ingest part of them. We accumulate impressive amounts because we are dinosaurs who still receive daily newspapers. The days of rubber bands around them, with plastic reserved for wet days, are long gone. No matter what the weather, all come encased in their bags.
If I purchase something I can easily fit in my handbag, I refuse the inevitably proffered bag. For groceries, we faithfully grab reusable tote bags. Even so, accumulating some single-use plastic is inevitable.
So, somewhat obsessively, I gather them all, ensure there are no paper receipts mixed in, and cram them into bigger bags waiting in the garage.
Periodically, I take them to our local environmental resource center, where I know they will eventually be compressed into bricks for various construction projects. One small step… one small step that everyone can take that would have a giant impact.
Which, for no particular reason, brings me to the bane of wearing white clothes. For heaven’s sake, does EVERYTHING light-colored I wear have to get a spot or stain on it?
Now, I’m pretty good at getting rid of those pesky little things. I’ve developed a series of techniques over the years (apparently, I’m a lifelong slob) that work pretty well—I would guess I’ve achieved an 80% success rate overall. All of which makes me wonder what may be lurking on my darker-colored clothes, which are adequately camouflaged and protected from those well-honed techniques to make the stains disappear.
A Conspiracy of Spots or Too Much Politics?
Could a conspiracy of spots be brewing here? Just the meanderings of a mind that is reading way, way too much about politics right now and is indeed wondering if we are witnessing the demise of democracy.
Now, anyone who has perused anything I’ve ever written along these lines knows I’m not a Trump fan. He’s a cheat, a loser who rode most of his life on his daddy’smoney and bailouts, a nasty bully, a graceless social climber, a serial sexual abuser, scarily ignorant of world affairs, likely close to being illiterate, and an utterly amoral human with not one shred of human decency residing in him.
And I’m betting he is not the first President of the US, or head of any nation, who could be described this way. For the most part, all are highly opportunistic men (the few women gaining anywhere near that level of power have other flaws, but not these as a rule), alert to any possibilities of gaining influence, protection, and money, unconstrained by conventional morality, extraordinarily vengeful, and if, perchance, something happens for the public good, it is likely a pure accident.
Yes, we’ve seen the occasional wise and moral national leader, thanks be to God. But even the good ones were flawed, making huge mistakes with decades of unexpected consequences to follow, riddled with internal contradictions, and viciously opposed by those who were sure their ascendency to power meant the end of the Great American Experiment.
So far, we’ve held. Yes, to some of us, things seem unusually ominous. Our current POTUS evidences zero respect for, or likely knowledge of, the Constitution. He makes decisions while surrounded by, advised by and listening to overt white supremacists (let’s get rid of all pesky little brown people) and also those who want their version of Christianity (muscular, xenocentric toward different cultures, male-power-only, female-submissive) to determine the culture/laws of the US.
The idea both makes me ill physically, but also spiritually. It is the antithesis of an arc toward a more just society that many of us long for.
When the Love of Money Rules . . .
And it’s life. Power always wants more power. Greed always wants more stuff. There is a reason the Scriptures state that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Not money itself, but the drive to get more and more and more, no matter the cost in lives and morals.
My biggest concern skews differently. As a scholar of religion, I am aware that there has never been a single historical situation where the marriage of sacred and secular power has worked out well for society–this marriage inevitably leads to the demise of democracy. Each time these two forces join, their combined underbellies, no longer constrained by any external powers, emerge, magnified by the flaws of the other.
I’ve written about this extensively over the years. Here’s one example. All we have to do is suspend judgment, put our trust in the current “only I can fix this” leader, and all will be well.
But all is not well, and is not going to be well as long as the immensely rich continue to assume their great riches do not also include great responsibility to the larger world. Yes, to whom much is given, much is required.
Again, there is nothing wrong with being rich, successful, and influential. There is a great deal wrong with using those riches and that influence and those successes to rob the far less fortunate of even the basics of decent hopes and opportunities for the sole purpose of accumulating more riches. Lifting others is how we build a great nation, not stomping on their hands and sending them plunging even further downward.
For these things, societies will be judged. Currently, the US sits precariously on the wrong side of working toward the greater good. That’s what grieves me right now.
I cannot fix this. My voice is small, barely heard, rarely read. But, just as with the plastic bags, I can do something, however tiny, seemingly inconsequential, that might, just might, help provide some light, health, and life for others. For these reasons, I continue to write, to serve, and to pray. That’s my job right now.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In