God, Well and Alive in Donald Trump

In response to putting out the request for topics to write on, a friend wrote back: "Seeing God in Donald Trump (you never wrote that you wanted it to be easy)".

I have to say I appreciate the topic and also that it appears that for many people it might not be easy. But that's what I'm looking for in topic suggestions--ones that challenge us to inquire beyond the box of our comfort zone and set beliefs.

So here goes.

First of all I live within an idea that makes life simple and without threat. Often it's difficult to embrace, but when I do, I always find the peace of mind that allows me to enjoy life over stressing compulsively in the battle of trying to make it what I want it to be.

The idea is reflected by something Albert Einstein once said, “The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or a hostile universe.” This means that the fundamental choice we make as to the nature of the universe we live in, determines all the subsequent laws, circumstances and seeming other choices we will make because of it. Einstein suggests that when we use our minds--our thought expression power to align ourselves with a friendly, i.e. infinitely cooperative and order establishing life arena, all, yes, all subsequent circumstances can be relied upon to reveal previously unseen pathways and resources consistent with the standard of unconditional friendliness. This means a friendliness manifesting that we would otherwise not experience in holding to our expectations of a hostile, flawed, I'm-responsible-for-correcting, world.

For those of you who must insist on believing that what you experience outside yourself has power over you and thus demands your reaction, just stop reading right here. This isn't for you. There can only be a ongoing hostile universe when you insist upon that view. As the Course in Miracles would suggest, you are believing you are under attack and in this world, like it or not, what you believe becomes your experience. That's just how it works. It may not be real, but the experience will tell you that it is and you will subsequently suffer and battle for your sanity because of it.

So as to the request of seeing or experiencing God in Donald Trump (as well as anyone or any situation) one has to begin by accepting that God, Order, Love or whatever you call the Cosmic Milieu encompasses all, including Donald Trump and his presidency. Then the issue becomes one of seeing what you're missing. Rather than using reason to determine what you think you should or should not find.

Now before anyone brings up the rebuttal challenging this belief in the face of such atrocities from Hitler's Germany to child abuse to natural calamities, I repeat, judging hostile circumstance without a willingness, and indeed, the expectation to experience an Order or Beauty that lies beyond one's judgment, will insure that the limit of one's belief in the atrocity or hostility that they are seeing will be all that they will be seeing. Heaven may be issuing from the very embers of hell, but without a commitment towards what must rise from it, all that can be experienced are the smoking remnants of what was along with the urgency to somehow replace it. And on and on it goes within a hostile world, never changing. Until belief does.

I'll discuss this more in a future blog, but for the purpose of this question, how to see God in Donald Trump, one's focus has to change from argument to curiosity.

In an article on "Genius" some years ago, I.Q. was determined to be less a qualifying factor for genius than the manner in which one thinks. Richard Feinman, a theoretical physicist, who was arguably considered a genius in thinking, put forth the process of genius thinking in this analogy.

He shared that if one was given a task to find a needle in a haystack most would either refuse or abandon the task in frustration, possibly doubting that the needle even existed. Some, of strong will would work systematically to prove whether or not the needle was in there and finding it, move on to other things. But those of genius thinking would explore the haystack as ripe for possibilities and once finding a needle would then wonder, "how many more needles or other items were hidden in the haystack". They would expect more and subsequently put themselves in position to find more.

So if you want to see God or Goodness or Order in Donald Trump or anything, you have to be committed and prepared to find it. So how big is your sense of God or an Orderly Universe? Big enough to trust in or too small to release your reasons for reacting?

What I will suggest now is just one friendly thinking idea beyond the box of what most see Donald Trump representing. It is still reasoning and cannot be relied upon or limited unto, however it can help show how light can emerge from seeming darkness.

Here's one view of how I see Trump limited to the world stage he presents himself upon.

His rhetoric and actions paint a picture of a leader who willingly exposes, embraces and defends his right to use deceit, condemnation and attack upon any person, position or circumstance that he is content in believing serves him. He appears to believe he is special in a way that allows him to objectify, humiliate, parody, violate and use others without seeming awareness as to empathy or responsibility for the consequences that his self-serving vision limits and defines.

He prefers using one-way communication (e.g. tweets & sound bites) limiting dialogue around what he says. He adamantly denies any failure of his beliefs, intentions and actions, proclaiming blanket success no matter the results. And he makes broad judgmental statements that suit his beliefs, regardless of any evidence to the contrary or support for his ideas.

When it comes to what he wants he acts like an entitled bully.

In a hostile world he most certainly appears a significant threat.

But what about within a friendly one? Again, one that transcends what I've just described seeing.

First of all, in an unopposed friendly universe we ultimately find acceptance of community, realizing intimately that we are not separate, but one. We share the same heart and inclination towards surrender to that which frees us from our loneliness, the sense that we are divided and isolated. Not to experience this is certainly hostile.

So Trump is part of our core, just as are sixty-three million voters, almost half those voting and even more who believe in him but didn't vote. That means that although his character appears deeply flawed, half our voting nation deemed that within what they see as an acceptably hostile universe, his behavior is acceptable, if not appropriate.

I think what frightens us most is this. Donald Trump's candidacy, election and leadership is showing us, that though we would like to believe we are a respectful and civil community, there is a within us a collectively dark and selfish justification for self-service and manipulation as a valid means of survival and as a basis for judgment, incivility and exclusion of our neighbor. And this is not new to us from Trump. These traits have been within humanity from day one. The only question is how we deal with them. And if you've truly never judged, denied or even mentally slighted anyone for their actions, then I may stand in awe of you, but not after some serious inquiry. Trump told and showed millions he would act on these dark impulses. He gave these fears voice.

And he was elected.

A wise soul once said, "You shall know the truth and it shall make you free." Often this is taken to mean that some sort of higher wisdom is the key. But instead of some seeming unrelated, higher wisdom, the most relevant truths are those that free us to see beyond what we cloud our minds with, i.e. the inclinations, limitations and lies we accept as uncorrupted meaning for what we're experiencing. These limited beliefs are what keep us imprisoned, unable to see Greater Order beyond the expectations of our preferences.

Perhaps now is the time for the awakening of a simple, transforming Idea, a powerful truth that can allow us to experience the collective freedom that we have been previously unwilling and even afraid to consider, less accept. All of us, including Mr. Trump, his team members, those voting for and against him, indeed, the whole world now find ourselves in front row seats to clearly witness self-justified, divisively hostile, reactionary intention projecting upon the global community.

It's no accident that Trump, his presidency and those who follow him have been given the authority to release upon the world this dark, manipulative intention and by human nature it will meet an equally opposing force. It's as if our collective ego (for we are one) has now been given opportunity to voice globally our base fears that court separation, condemnation, judgment and alienation as justified response to what we don't agree with. The truth that can free us is witnessing how this genie of disrespect and division has come out of the bottle and no matter how nobly or wickedly we wield it's power, how vulgar and impotent are the results. And from this shared futility, perhaps we can find the willingness to simply accept that in order to find the qualities we seek in others, we must and can commit to finding it in those and their actions that we don't see it in. The alternative is increasingly visible insanity and my hunch is that there won't be enough medication--liquid, solid or digital to numb us into not seeing it.

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So yes, I can very much see God in Donald Trump.