Politics and Love

Much ado about politics these days. It's an important arena, populated by those who want to serve and those who want power. And it's hard to discern between the two. There currently seems to be a trend toward the desire for authoritarianism in the voting public--people want someone strong, decisive, and opinionated, who is not hesitant to wield power. In the early 70's I asked a lady who had grown up in Nazi Germany how such a man as Hitler could rise to power. She said, "Oh, the people loved him. He made the streets safe to walk again." Apparently the people in Germany at that time were tired of the chaos and violence, and a strong, unifying voice who was willing to be brutal against the "evils" of the day was welcomed and embraced. Some people to this day still embrace him--and [or] his way of governing.
My prayer continues to be that we will govern ourselves; with compassion, self-control, and responsible living focused on the common good. If we drift too far from this way-of-being, only tyranny will subdue us. As Edmund Burke penned "Society cannot exist unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere, and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without. It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things that men of intemperate minds can never be free. Their passions forge their fetters."
I believe, and have experienced in my own life, that it is impossible to subdue all that is not good [that is, evil] in us without the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus brought to this earth and perpetually offers us. It is the Spirit of Love/Truth; and everything in us must sooner or later come under its [His] authority. Otherwise the ego will ultimately overpower the personality. I don't know about you, but  I know that my ego is not good for you. It's not good for me. It is blind.  When we see clearly we realize that Jesus and His teachings are the only solution for human blindness and selfishness. No political system, amount of education, or military can save us from the darkness that is in us. Even religion, as we have seen in stark, frightening clarity, can become a powerful venue of evil. But religion itself is not the problem, as some seem to believe. It is the "god" that inspires that religion. Only the God of Love [the God of Jesus Christ] can transform the heart of one who has been blinded by a god of hatred, violence and terror. No secular political system nor military power will ever subdue religion. We must all [secular and religious] work toward refining religion into its purest manifestation. Jesus said these words: "You have been taught to love your neighbor and hate your enemies, but I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be the children of your Father in heaven." [Matthew 5:44]. He also lived the reality of those words: He walked the walk.  If you can discover anything purer than that, follow it. But if not, then acknowledge that, at least until we attain the fulfillment of His commands to love each other, there is no higher power that we need to be seeking. In fact, it's a distraction and waste of time to be occupied with anything other than that.