Behind The No Kings Rally

Photo credit Solene Grace

In Romans 13:8-10, Paul teaches that loving one's neighbor is the fulfillment of the law, as true love acts in the best interest of others and does no harm. By loving others, a person naturally fulfills the core requirements of God’s law, such as the Sermon on the Mount, which can be summarized as loving one's neighbor as oneself.

It is so easy to vilify one guy (such as the current occupant of the white house) and everybody chants and gets their blood up while waving signs, but then what?  

When does the real work begin? 

People must understand that the real problem is not one opportunistic parasite who has figured out how to game the system and hoodwink millions of people, but that we are in the end stage of empire where greed and solipsism are the real kings.  It's not one man or one party or a group of oligarchs.  It's that a majority of humans have forgotten that human connections and the deep ties of community are the real malady we face. 

MAGA, Trumpianism, The death cult of war, The Democratic party failing to stand up for basic rights and all forms of "othering" are merely a symptom of a much deeper spiritual malady related to Paul's word to the Romans. 

We see absolutely crazy stuff and think: "Wow, look at that technology" when we really should be thinking "Interesting how the Oligarchs have dazzled us with shiny objects and succeeded in separating us from one another."  A few examples: 

• Melania walking with a robot advocating for robots to teach our kids.  Do we really think having a machine devoid of any feeling is going to raise up children into adults with any compassion?  REALLY?  Look at how iPhones, tablets and social media have destroyed the social fabric and our kids. 
• Obama spent years using reaper drones killing people all over the globe (including killing Americans) and we get upset when other countries use similar assassination tactics? 
• GW Bush and Dick Cheney made rendition (aka kidnapping), torture and detention without trial American policy. 
• Biden spent billions arming Israel (as did every president before and after him) knowing that there was a genocide going on.  
• And ad infinitum back as far as you can remember. 

These are but a few examples.  There are many others. 

The point is Christ did not advocate for participation in any of it.  For him the Romans that occupied Palestine and the Ecclesiastical government of the Pharisees was total rubbish.  He advocated for spiritual transformation over religious or political reform. He knew politics was the business of "strange bedfellows"   He was a drop out. And what a great example of how to drop out and create something beautiful.

The greatest way to undermine corrupt political systems is the make them irrelevant.  

• Build community
• Know your neighbors
• Create networks 
• Share ideas
• Help others 
• Create resilience 
• Liberate your Mind (psychological sovereignty) 
• Create deep lifelong relationships 
• Support local initiatives with your resources

At the end of the day what matters is not whether FEMA is being funded (it is not) or if some other alphabet agency is doing its job (it is not).  What matters is who you know and who you can count on when stuff gets real.  And it is getting realer and realer by the day.   

The love of God in us and working through us is our salvation 

~ Joseph Olejak