The following is written by a guest blogger. The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not reflect the opinions of Bob Lacey, Sheri Lynch or the Bob & Sheri show.
From the moment he descended down the escalator, guns blazing, with his “shoot from the hip” style, Mr. Trump came equipped with one, much targeted message.
America there’s a new sheriff in town and I’m here to clean up this current mess of a country and trust me, “I alone can fix it”!
While a certain percentage of the nation saw a display of pompous arrogance and a mouthpiece of divisiveness which could endanger the future discourse of human decency and civility, about 27% of eligible voters saw and heard something very different. They heard a narrative which reflected their own version of patriotism, what America is and should be: Strong and Defiant!
Trump’s base embraced an evangelical hero waving the American flag in his right hand, holding the bible in his left and speaking the right words which they had been praying to God to hear. And at that moment, a new version of the gospel was born; the truth according to Donald Trump available on live audio and tweet.
A Tale of Two Gospels
Blessed are the meek (gentle) for they shall inherit the earth.
Only the strong, those who never back down and never admit mistakes can win in this game of life. Always be aggressive, never “look” weak. And the crowd shouts “Amen!”
A stranger stripped, beaten and left for half dead . . . when a passerby saw him, he was moved with compassion, came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He showed mercy on him.
Why should we spend our hard earned tax dollars to take care of yet another foreigner who shouldn’t be here in the first place? It is his fault this loser got robbed and beaten; he should have stayed in his own town, how stupid is this guy? And the crowd shouts “Make America Great Again!”
But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
“As you may know by now, when someone attacks me I will punch back 10 times harder. No matter who you are, a man or a woman, I treat everyone equal.” And if someone challenges you in public or dares to disagree with your actions, just sue them . . . make them pay with their pocketbook! https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-22-times-trump-has-threatened-to-sue-someone-during-this-campaign/
And the crowd chants “Lock her up!”, “Send her back!” etc.
Perhaps it is this dissonance which has caused so many in the middle to disconnect from the political discourse and retreat from organized religion to nurture their faith. And if Trump’s message was solely nationalistic without any attempts to marry it to the words of Jesus – perhaps people’s confusion and desire to denounce his style of rhetoric would be lessened.
While the bible remains the best-selling book in the world, unfortunately with the emergence of the new gospel, it would appear that it has been collecting dust in the hearts and minds of many of those who own one.
What happens if the idea of WWJD is fully replaced with a different message altogether? A message where Jesus is no longer the Prince of Peace but rather a Warrior of Winners?
We are living in divisive times where we are allowing a new narrative of “us versus them” diminish our founding fathers’ collective dream; “a perfect union” and “out of many one”. The more we participate in the demonization of “the other side”, we too are complicit.
Extremists on the right and left are drowning out the peacemakers, the calmer, steadier message of the meek, the unifying voice of love and the merciful voice of empathy.
Is there any place left in our society for cooler minds to prevail? For critical thinking skills based on facts, data and logic to rise above emotionally charged tribal chants?
If we give in to the strong current pulling us apart, goading us to take sides and to demonize one another merely because of the differences of our own narratives . . . I believe the chasm between rational and reactivity will only grow deeper and wider. But instead, if we attempt to sincerely practice the principles of the beatitudes, love will indeed, conquer all.
The Zen Den
Hello and welcome to The Zen Den. My name is Alison and while I am passionate about many things, my most inspiring driving force is human connection. Blogger, content writer, orthopedic exercise specialist, motivational speaker, international yoga pro, published songwriter, avid poker player, mom and wife are just a few of my titles. But when I do my job at NASA, I am known simply as “The Fairy Zenmother” a role I deeply love because people invite me into their space to help them find their center, relax and stretch their muscles and destress their mind. Here in the blogosphere version of The Zen Den, I invite you into my world where I will explore ideas for creating a better tomorrow and a kinder today. And hopefully, with insight, authenticity and humor; my words, observations and experiences will help you feel calm, centered, intellectually challenged and spiritually enlightened. Alternatively, if you have something you would like to see covered in The Zen Den, just let me know. Your feedback is welcome and valuable to the success of this blog. Finally, my heart is filled with gratitude to have this opportunity to share with all of you.
