The Pursuit of Power

Power…that’s how it all started. Deviation from the divine.

Desire growing.

Fingers grasping in the garden that the Creator made not perfect but good.

Where no lords were yet crowned, no caste system established, no master and servant duo.

The temple space of goodness and light – that’s where they were – the Creator’s created.

Their purpose: to tend the garden, to expand the good, to work together.

No language is needed for the concept of equality when equality is all that is known…

And then the grasping, clawing, ugliness of power – advantage over another.

Then the curses: Man will rule over woman. Woman will desire the man’s power. Darkness will come for both.

And to this day, we still operate under the curse…

Power is an insidious force. It twists and maims goodness. We see it in government, wars, business, churches, churches run like businesses…

We see it in the Christian Nationalist movement. Those that believe the government should only mandate Christian values. That violence and force are justified when the outcome is not favorable. We argue over whether we should have God’s rules posted in public squares. Never mind that a religion that must hang posters to prove it’s legitimacy is a dead religion, and how Jesus said when you pray to go into your room and close the door. We argue about whether drag queens should be allowed to read to children. Never mind that the greatest threat to our children are the bullets of the violence and the power we so covet and idolize. And we fear not having the power because our creative minds cannot conceive of a way to subdue violence except with violence. It’s all we know. And better for the metal to deliver the metallic taste in the mouths of the “others” than us.

We see it in our churches were loyalty is valued above truth. Where reputation is protected at any cost. Where the whistle blowers are managed and then silenced. Where those that don’t get on the moving train are crushed under the weight and wheels. And no one looks back at the bodies…because how dare they question and doubt and ask “is this really the way forward?” It’s their own fault. Abuse is common and covered and concessions are made for the powerful.

And when we say “Is this really the way?” we are ostracized and othered and ogled for being “woke” and “liberal” and “worldly”. We are called weak and wishy washy because we won’t take a stance of hate. We are called “lost” and “confused” because we want answers.

And we wonder how we got to this place of striving and straining and grasping and clawing. We sometimes wish we could return to that simpler time when we didn’t know and we accepted as fact what the power said was truth.