But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
— Jesus Christ, English Standard Version (Luke 6:27–31)
As the 2022 mid-term elections ramped up, harsh political rhetoric grew so venomous that I found myself participating by imagining what karmic justice it would take to remand Donald Trump to jail and to waterboard the truth out of him. After all, he recommended the harsh truth-telling procedure be reinstituted by our military because, as he said, “torture works.” Okay, I get it, so let’s try it on him. Why? Because he encouraged his followers to execute a coup d’état. Advocating the overthrow of our duly elected leader seems like serious crime. I’ll bet he’ll ‘fess up to leading that insurrection if water pressure were applied. Our former president is, by universal consensus, a pathological liar, so the best way to inspire him to come clean would, in my view, be waterboarding. Such extreme treatment would be a kindness to him because he would finally be washed in the truth, and that would liberate his guilty soul. Though, admittedly, I am not sure he has ever felt guilt. And, of course, I am uncertain that he has a salvageable soul. Regardless, the idea: vengeance. Encourage him to admit that the trumped-up stories about everything he has ever said are lies and, between breaths, listen to him recant.
To bring us up to date, after declaring he will run again for president, Trump announced, as he has in the past, that he will repair America’s drug problem by executing drug dealers using extrajudicial means, as is practiced in Iran, China, and Saudi Arabia, three countries not receiving blue ribbons for respecting human rights. Hmm, by the way, he suggests the death penalty be carried out soon after arrest—caught on Tuesday, hanged on Wednesday. Smooth. Efficient. Very tyrant friendly. No due process needed for those who traffic drugs. As a counterweight proposal, just musing here, how about an extra session of waterboarding for those who advocate sabotaging a democratically legitimate election, which leads to an insurrection against our Capitol with the aim of overthrowing established law and order? Silly, huh? So, there it is, I admit I fail to love my enemies, a list headed by the usual suspects, Christian Nationalists, antisemites, neo-fascists, old-school fascists, warmongers, oligarchs, and MAGA sycophants. The urge to slap these stinkers is tempting.
And so wrong! In entertaining vengeful thoughts, I surrender to pettiness and nastiness in the same way as do those in whom I find fault. It is difficult to treat others with empathy and respect when judging them as traitors, so I must deal with my weakness, namely the eye for an eye proposition. It’s tough turning the other cheek. Much easier to punch an adversary than to take one on the chin from him.
It’s hard to turn a fist into a handshake, isn’t it? Now, I wish I could shake the hand of the Reverend John Graves who not long ago sent me a text message. He’s the CEO of Million Voices, an organization meant to spread conservative thinking to people of faith, meaning Christians of the uncompromising evangelical sort, those who stand guard on the right flank of America’s ramparts. John, bless his soul, wants to refashion America into his vision of Christian gun-owners who ban nasty books and promote intolerance toward anything that does not resemble Beaver Cleaver’s hometown, Mayfield, USA, an insulated community somewhere in the heart of heartland America. Sure, I know, his Million Voices thesis looks typical for a hardcore preacher from Texas, but to look at his voter guides, one sees only the view toward the right side of the house. Every voter guide he publishes leans heavily to the right. John wants to lead the charge: “Onward Christian soldiers marching as to war.” Apparently, Democrats are his enemies. His view is correct, and all other views are wrong. Come on, John. Let’s have a discussion. I assume you have read the Sermon on the Mount.
When he was released from prison, Nelson Mandela referenced his thoughts. “As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.” I yearn to think like that regarding the Reverend John and all those wearing red MAGA baseball caps. It is a hard steep climb to put forgiveness in front of retribution.
It takes strength to forgive. I confess that my autopilot is set to reprimand and animus. Daily I struggle to adjust my attitude to something in the green zone of forgiveness and, in the process, wish that others will treat me as I treat them.
To leave bitterness and hatred behind is a decision, a simple decision.