Episode 3: My Kind of Leader

A Spiritual and Philosophical Op-Ed Series

This episode is in honor of a spiritual leader who is a Christian church leader who also stands up for the ideas of "Love thy neighbor." - with a period at the end of that sentence (metaphorically, as I believe the rest of the statement does continue a little longer, but the sentiment needs only those three words to be fully expressed).

Episcopal Bishop of Washington, D.C. (that's right, the whole city), Reverend Mariann Budde included the current American President in one of her recent sermons, asking him for Mercy for people in our society, in our nation, who feel afraid and who have been often excluded from his (Trump's) view of the country in almost every discourse and speech he has given on the subject.

As a spiritual person, she was guided by prayer; as a leader, she was guided to help humanize the people that are often pushed to the side in speeches by President Trump, such as folks in the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ and immigrant populations. These two ways she was guided make me want to follow her to the ends of the Earth.

For starters, I believe that love is love and that God made everyone the way they are and He (technically, as I've written in the past "It") wants every one of his creatures to be happy and fulfilled in this lifetime. Isn't that what all parents are supposed to want for their children? Why should God be any different?

Next, let's not forget that the majority of people who consider themselves American nationals or born citizens are descendants of people who immigrated here from all across the globe. On a daily basis, families celebrate the variety of cultures adopted into our melting pot by asking whether to get take-out from their local Pizzeria or Chinese Food hot spot. Living in cities, people enjoy a night out with their friends at karaoke or eating at a Hibachi restaurant. We attend live music nights to enjoy Irish folk songs and drink German beer - or American beer made by a company founded by a German immigrant (which has become known as a hallmark of American culture world-wide) - Budweiser. Taco Tuesday is a common theme at restaurants and bars across the nation.

Why do we feel free to steal the customs of other cultures, to welcome those cultural aspects like food into our communities, but not the people themselves? We love old movies about the trials and tribulations of immigration and we sympathize with the people who struggled to get through Ellis Island, as well as the people we forced to migrate here through slavery. So why is it such a struggle to feel empathy for the modern people going through the same struggles?

Fear. The answer is almost always "fear". We fear we will lose our property, our hard-earned money, our jobs to people who have had to work harder for it, who weren't born into such wealth. We feel this same fear towards the unknown about gender or sexual identity. We don't understand it, so we turn to fear, rather than faith. Our fear makes us greedy. Our greed turns us away from compassion and spirituality. Mercy and empathy will turn us back toward them. Perhaps, also, these will turn us back to faith (at least for those who believe in a unifying supernatural force in the universe, like I do).

As someone born into the Christian faith, who has wondered often at many churches leaders' failure to acknowledge that "Love thy neighbor" mentality (and therefore populations that may be in even greater need of love, since they are often denied belonging), I have been so mightily impacted by the beautiful power of Bishop Budde's words. That call for mercy and compassion, that guidance by prayer, those are the reasons why I appreciate and forever send my thanks to Reverend Mariann Budde.

Big Point/TL;DR: Bishop Mariann Budde is the modern-day spiritual leader I'm looking for in my life. If you're looking for a way back into the Christian faith - this is the way.