“I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast labored, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless, I hold this against thee because thou hast left thy First Love.” (Revelation 2)
Despite all the great things the Apostles were accomplishing, God was concerned that they were doing work for Jesus but not loving Jesus.
It is quite dangerous for me to try to bridge the gap between religious tenets and earthly political leadership. Nevertheless, I do wonder if an analogy, although imperfect, might be drawn between First Love of God and First Love of Country. Clearly, some people work so maniacally for their political party that they lose sight of the fact that Love of Country should remain paramount. William Inge said: Patriotism varies, from a noble devotion to a moral lunacy.
Plato could not identify himself with any of the contending political parties. He had concluded that all existing governments were bad and almost beyond redemption: “The human race will have no respite from evils until those who are really philosophers acquire political power or until, through some divine dispensation, those who have political authority become real philosophers.” Like his teacher, Socrates, Plato defined philosopher to include the highest level of intellect, wisdom and morality – inviolate and inseparable – his bottom line for political leadership.
Legitimate protest of government policies and actions is a cherished right, indeed an obligation, in our democracy. However, more than twenty years ago, Peter Drucker said that America does not have one integrating force that pulls individual organizations in society and community into coalition. Peter went on to say that the traditional political parties, once our best development for American progress, can no longer integrate divergent groups and divergent points of view into a common pursuit of power for the progress of our nation. Rather, they have become battlefields between groups, each of them fighting for absolute victory and not content with anything but total surrender of the enemy. “What we have,” Peter said, “is ineffectiveness, indeed, paralysis. “
“I tolerate with the utmost latitude the right of others to differ from me in opinion without imputing to them criminality. My anxieties on this subject will never carry me beyond the use of fair and honorable means, of truth and reason; nor have they ever lessened my esteem for moral worth, nor alienated my affections from a single friend, who did not first withdraw himself.” (Jefferson)
For America’s sake, I PRAY for more LEADERS with the courage when making decisions to rise above the mandated positions on issues imposed merely by membership in their own ethnic, gender, religious, geographic, educational, economic and especially political groupings; to rise above the automatic, often maniacal, uncivil and insulting, rejection of other groups’ positions; and to always place America above everything, as our First Love in this earthly plane. “The care of human life and happiness is the only legitimate object of good government.” (Jefferson)
And for those who support our current and aspiring leaders, American citizens, I PRAY that you will exercise independent objective judgment, and resist the assault on your mind of dogmatic and intolerant party politics and manipulated public opinion, from friend or foe. “Little boldness is needed to assail the opinions and practices of notoriously wicked men, but to rebuke great and good men for their conduct and impeach their discernment requires the highest effort of moral courage.” (Garrison) “To go against the dominant thinking of your friends and peers, of most of the people you see every day, is perhaps the most difficult act of heroism you can perform.” (Theodore White)
In a democracy, it is said, we get the government we deserve. America’s lack of progress is not caused solely by leadership failings, the full picture includes the low levels of civic understanding and civic participation by the American people. Responsibility for the development of democracy lies with each citizen individually.
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There is never a democracy that did not commit suicide.” (John Adams)
We certainly seemed hell-bent as a nation, headed toward the fate that has befallen all other once great nations, even democratic ones. But I know we can come back from this precipice we are on; MY PRAYER, or, perhaps, better, MY PLEA, is that we will. So far, I see no signs of national redemption.
O beautiful for heroes prov’d
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life.
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev’ry gain divine.
