The Tower of Babel Came Tumbling Down

Chris Quinn is the President/Editor of Cleveland’s daily newspaper, The Plain Dealer. In a message to several thousand of us on his daily text communication regarding The Plain Dealer journalism focus, Quinn made the observation that President Donald J. Trump “owns the daily news cycle like no predecessor.”

Setting President Trump’s actions aside and setting aside the actions of his sycophantic and largely unqualified administration appointees for the offices they hold, (which is a great, great challenge) I find the presidential ownership of the daily news cycle exhausting.

Trump’s constant boasting and extraordinary self-congratulation wears me out. 

Trump’s superlatives in any message he gives that flaunt his self-proclaimed accomplishments as greater than that of any presidential predecessor drains me. 

Trump’s constant blaming and denigrating of Democrats or persons he designates as “disloyal” Republicans for all the nation’s problems is wearisome. Trump’s outlandishly absurd characterizations of himself as the flawless leader of America’s return to greatness, wealth, and power on a scale never before attempted or realized drains my energy in seeking context and understanding.

Treading the Trumpian waters of the daily efforts to flood the zone of the airwaves and news cycle with intentional lies (often told using language that demeans and bullies, such as calling a female reporter asking a legitimate question “a fatty”) is an enormous energy depletion. 

All this is intentional. The more intellectually exhausted we become, the more Trump’s outrageous action, illegal action, and all together fraudulent action, are made not only possible but probable and without consequence.

So, what are we to do? After all, there are three more years of daily assault on our civic energy and national civic life. 

Besides hoping and working for results of our national mid-term elections that will cause a desperately needed constraint on Trump’s power, what are we to do in dealing with personal energy depletion?

Matthew 6:1-4 is so very uplifting as a place to find energy replacement. Jesus is remembered as saying: 

Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

There is nothing righteous about Trump. There is nothing “giving” about this man and his Christian Nationalist enablers. There is no recognition of human need. Affordability is just a hoax. But Trump is all about naming his reward and claiming it.

This teaching is a clear admonition for being more than wary of those who self-promote and self-congratulate for ANY reason. Jesus is lifting up a quality of life which is not an effort at self-promotion and bragging. Living our lives for others and not making any big deal about it but instead making a big deal about the lives of others is what makes for greatness to occur again and again in human life.

It also results in others talking in superlatives about the love shown. Self-congratulation is not necessary.

It’s the difference in naming a building after oneself in gleeful indifference to reality of service, verses having others wanting to celebrate and remember your name.

Another powerful energizer of one’s spirit in these Trumpian days is to join the resistance. It can be acts of resistance of any size. But joining with those in thought, word, and deed who are treading the daily waters flooding the zone is energizing.

And perhaps the most powerfully helpful energy source when we are weary of Trump’s ownership of the news cycle is to pray for the man.

Pray in secret for his welfare. He is not well. Pray not for his success (Lord, help us all) but for God’s redeeming grace to take hold of him. Pray that the words of his mouth and the meditations of his heart will not be expressions of self-congratulation but words such as these: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you O God, my rock and redeemer.

Pray for the man.