1. Greatness Blog – January 20, 2017

February 5th, 2017

On the day after the inauguration of Donald John Trump, I wake early, light two candles and meditate. My practice hasn’t changed, although our country might.

I watched the inauguration yesterday and listened to the President’s speech. He vowed to listen to everyone, and so I assume that means he will listen to me. So today, I’m throwing my hat into the ring. Today, I’m beginning my blog, creating a space for speaking, for listening, for dialogue on this theme of his new presidency, making America great, again. I want to make my country great, too, and like Donald, I believe it takes all of us.

I approach my life as a Christian, so as I consider this new theme of “greatness” for our country and Donald’s presidency, I begin by looking to Jesus to see what he had to say on the topic. Here’s what I find in the 20th chapter of Matthew.

Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Hmm… I think. Yes, I say. Those who wish to be great, to make our country great, again, must serve. And so Donald makes quite a sacrifice, giving up presiding over his financial empire of billions and now lowers himself to become a public servant, ready to serve his country to make it great again. Like Donald, I, too am a public servant. For the past 22 years, I’ve served in local government. Like Donald, I serve the people, all the people, as a mediator, as a fair housing coordinator – providing information and assistance to rich and poor alike, listening, assisting, and serving.

Robert Greenleaf explained this back in 1911 in his book, The Twelve Principles of Efficiency. He defined the leader as one who serves with these words:

              The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.

            The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?

So this morning, I’m considering that I have a new servant leader who is putting the people of the United States first. I am glad we both take a place as servant leaders, as public servants, and I look forward to considering more about the “greatness” we seek in moving our country forward.

Hail to the chief or should I say “Hail to our new slave”? What a huge job he has to consider the future of all the people whom he now serves. He has said he will listen to us all and I’m hoping that means he will serve us all, as well

I know he is convinced that government regulation chokes the life out of business opportunities, which in turn harms the people. But I know that businesses also choke the people at times. The businesses, but also the people, are his responsibilities now. We will depend on him to help us become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous and more able to serve as well.

If he deregulates the food industry, will they feed us unhealthy food that makes us fat and full of chemicals that causes more cancers and leads to a very unhealthy, weak America?

If he ignores the facts of climate change, will he prevent America from becoming great by leading the world in the development of alternative energy that is better for the environment and our health? Will we run out of money while trying to deal with the growing number of weather-related disasters, droughts and floods, hurricanes and tornadoes? Will he ignore the fact that there are actually more jobs in building an alternative energy infrastructure than in fossil fuels?

What will he think and do about social security and health care for all of his people?

Is he fully aware of the growing federal deficit and what spending without taxing will do to the future health of our economy?

What are his plans for the American workers when their bodies wear out?

Is he educating himself on the number of Americans who are disabled, aging, unable to work, and is he concerned about their pensions, social security and health care in retirement?

When I consider the greatness of my country, I applaud the Constitution and the United States federal government, which makes America great by enforcing laws which regulate, protect and serve the people. I think of the “safety net” that looks after people, the children, the senior citizens, the disabled ones. I think of our scientists who lead the world, who help us figure out how to combat disease, how to protect our food supply, how to keep our natural resources available for future life. And I believe the 99% of scientists who speak out about climate change. I think of our ingenuity and our businesses, yes, who find ways to move us into a sustainable future. I think of the arts, of public radio and television, and of truth. These are some of the things that make us great. I trust he will guard them well.

Best wishes, President Donald John Trump. You’ll be hearing more from me as we begin this journey of four years together.

From a fellow public servant, Nancy Flinchbaugh in Springfield, Ohio