Find your inner Donald Trump and deal with that!

what are you saying to us?

Except those who love him, most of us have been appalled by the Trumpery which has gone on since he became President of the USA. The first and most extraordinary untruth of the figures for his inauguration must have made even a Republican voter gasp a bit.  The last 48 hours have seen policies unveiled which indicate that his America First Policy means Americans like him, Americans who have been Americans for long enough to forget they were ever Irish, Scottish, English, Armenian, Israeli, Afghani, Iranian, German, Swedish let alone of one or other religion.  The awful rightness of being Right in every sense is writ so large that we feel we must say this is wrong.  It is!  But, it also asks us to look at our own walls and barriers, our own likes and dislikes and see how unreasonable they are.  If we are vegetarian, do we hate meat eaters?  If we don't smoke, do we hate smokers?  If we are socialist, do we hate conservatives?  Is our own identity and allegiance based on hating someone else or just a way of life?  

Here is what Father Laurence Freeman says about a state of  mind which I really really wish I, you, and everyone could aspire to.  This is his Thought for the Day and I hope it might help you and if you know Mr Trump, perhaps it might be something you could pass on to him too.

The connection between the historical Jesus and the Inner Christ is the most interesting and mysterious and exciting connection in my life, and to feel that I’m connected to that makes me feel connected to everything in this world. Through that connection, I can feel and love the truth in every religious tradition, and in individuals who manifest the essence of that tradition. And I think that means that to be a Christian, for me, is a process, not just an identity. It’s a process, it’s an evolution. But it does mean, to be a Christian, that there is no competition. Jesus did not compete with other religious leaders, then why should Christians compete or pretend to be superior to anyone else? That would be un-Christlike, not like Jesus to do that.

(Jesus and Buddha, Meditatio Series 2013A, Laurence Freeman)