After 9/11/2001, the world changed for the Arab populations more than for anybody else. The criminal invasion of Iraq in 2003 provoked around 200,000 direct casualties and about 300,000 indirect deaths. The Arab Spring of 2010 let hope rise for entire populations, but was dramatically followed by the rise of ISIS and the Syrian civil war, as well as tragic upsets in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and elsewhere. The ethnic cleansing of Palestinians has been going on since 1948, but today it has reached huge proportions.
In this context, I would like to spotlight Tony Blair. Twenty years ago, together with G.W.Bush, he started the Iraq war, knowing quite well that the intelligence about weapons of mass destruction was faulty. In 2016, Blair issued a half-hearted apology because the Chilcot report — an official document of the UK government — found that his fatal decision was grounded on nothing. Last week, the same Tony Blair was at the White House discussing as-yet undisclosed plans for the future of Gaza. Apparently, being a war criminal in a region of the world gains you expertise in the same region.
I am not interested in attacking Blair as an individual, but in asking a question that has tormented me for quite a while: why are Western democracies allowing, or even favoring, the ascent to power of people who lack true moral consciousness, even showing signs of sociopathic behaviors, yet flaunt their morality and their religiosity? Other very visible examples of this are Donald Trump and the neofascist Italian head of government Giorgia Meloni.
Blair allegedly wrote in his autobiography — yes, people like him publish autobiographies instead of hiding in a cave atoning for their sins — that he was always more interested in religion than in politics. Which is a tragic admission — if you ask me — and is made even more sinister by the fact that Blair’s Catholicism is of the Opus Dei variety and his hero was John Paul II.
Again — I ask —why many of those who govern huge portions of the world, and are elected through democratic systems, know nothing about diplomacy, have no clue about the economy, have no moral standards, and are broken inside?
There are some exceptions, such as the wonderful Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister of Spain. If we believe that the morality, knowledge, and soundness of the people in power reflect the prevalence of the same in their societies, we should conclude that Spaniards in 2025 are enormously more advanced than, for example, Italians. To some extent they are, but in reality, Spain is at risk of moving toward the right just like any other Western country, and France right now looks to be just a few steps away from the return of fascism.
In a recent book, Matthew Fox made the case for the roots of democracy to be found in Jesus’ preaching the equal dignity of every human being, with Meister Eckhart following suit and proclaiming the nobility and equality of all. Says Eckhart: If I were to lead people, they would never follow me with pleasure if they did not receive equality with me. For a movement or deed is never accomplished with pleasure in the absence of equality.
Eckhart is right, because he talks about following with pleasure. When people support leaders like Trump, Meloni, or Blair, they don’t do it with true pleasure of the heart, with joy and liberty. They do it instead because they are captive of feelings of fear, hate, and shame. They are mesmerized and feel elevated to the presumed grand stance of their leaders.
On the contrary, followers of leaders such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Pedro Sánchez experience pure and simple equality. Their rallies are filled with joy, despite the darkness of the moment. These leaders are able to make people feel they are sitting all together in a circle on the ground.
It’s not, therefore, just a matter of political ideas and taking sides. The infamous Blair was the leader of Labour in the UK, and the appalling Starmer today is just the same. It’s time that we talk about leadership in a much deeper sense. It’s perfectly possible that a progressive leader — in any organization — is power-grabbing and thus should be excluded.
The crisis of leadership that the West is undergoing has reached perhaps its apex with the double election of Trump. It’s the responsibility of people who are morally and spiritually alert to check on candidates for leadership at all levels of society, becoming much smarter in choosing future leaders, and throwing all our support behind those who exhibit the human qualities that we would like to see in a prospective spouse or in our children. Nothing less is fine, as the risk of electing potential war criminals is very real.
See Matthew Fox, Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ, page 35.
See also Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society
Also Fox, Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation
And Fox, Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth
And Fox, The Pope’s War: Why Ratzinger’s Secret Crusade Has Imperiled the Church and How It Can Be Saved
And Fox, The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times
Banner Image: U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wave to an enthusiastic crowd at a “Fight Oligarchy” rally in Tempe, Arizona. Photo by Gage Skidmore on Flickr.
Queries for Contemplation
What is your experience with supporting candidates for any office? What are the spiritual qualities that you require in them?
Related Readings by Matthew Fox
Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election
Matthew Fox tells us that he had always shied away from using the term “Anti-Christ” because it was so often used to spread control and fear. However, given today’s rise of authoritarianism and forces of democracide, ecocide, and christofascism, he turns the tables in this book employing the archetype for the cause of justice, democracy, and a renewed Earth and humanity.
From the Foreword: If there was ever a time, a moment, for examining the archetype of the Antichrist, it is now…Read this book with an open mind. Good and evil are real forces in our world. ~~ Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit and Conversations with the Divine.
For immediate access to Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ: A Handbook for the 2024 Election, order the e-book with 10 full-color prints from Amazon HERE.
To get a print-on-demand paperback copy with black & white images, order from Amazon HERE or IUniverse HERE.
To receive a limited-edition, full-color paperback copy, order from MatthewFox.org HERE.
Order the audiobook HERE for immediate download.
Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society
Visionary theologian and best-selling author Matthew Fox offers a new theology of evil that fundamentally changes the traditional perception of good and evil and points the way to a more enlightened treatment of ourselves, one another, and all of nature. In comparing the Eastern tradition of the 7 chakras to the Western tradition of the 7 capital sins, Fox allows us to think creatively about our capacity for personal and institutional evil and what we can do about them.
“A scholarly masterpiece embodying a better vision and depth of perception far beyond the grasp of any one single science. A breath-taking analysis.” — Diarmuid O’Murchu, author of Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics
Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation
Authors Adam Bucko and Matthew Fox encourage us to use our talents in service of compassion and justice and to move beyond our broken systems–economic, political, educational, and religious–discovering a spirituality that not only helps us to get along, but also encourages us to reevaluate our traditions, transforming them and in the process building a more sacred and just world. Incorporating the words of young activist leaders culled from interviews and surveys, the book provides a framework that is deliberately interfaith and speaks to our profound yearning for a life with spiritual purpose and for a better world.
“Occupy Spirituality is a powerful, inspiring, and vital call to embodied awareness and enlightened actions.”
~~ Julia Butterfly Hill, environmental activist and author of The Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods
Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth
Fox’s spirituality weds the healing and liberation found in North American Creation Spirituality and in South American Liberation Theology. Creation Spirituality challenges readers of every religious and political persuasion to unite in a new vision through which we learn to honor the earth and the people who inhabit it as the gift of a good and just Creator.
“A watershed theological work that offers a common ground for religious seekers and activists of all stripes.” — Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice.
“I am reading Liberating Gifts for the People of the Earth by Matt Fox. He is one that fills my heart and mind for new life in spite of so much that is violent in our world.” ~ Sister Dorothy Stang.
The Pope’s War: Why Ratzinger’s Secret Crusade Has Imperiled the Church and How It Can Be Saved
The Pope’s War offers a provocative look at three decades of corruption in the Catholic Church, focusing on Josef Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI. The final section in the book focuses on birthing a truly catholic Christianity.
“This book should be read by everybody, not only for its ferocious courage, but also for its vision for what needs to be saved from the destructive forces that threaten authentic Christianity.” ~ Andrew Harvey, author of The Hope.
“In the gripping The Pope’s War, Matthew Fox takes an unwavering look at the layers of corruption in the Catholic Church, holding moral truth against power.” — Jason Berry, author of Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II
The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times
A stunning spiritual handbook drawn from the substantive teachings of Aquinas’ mystical/prophetic genius, offering a sublime roadmap for spirituality and action.
Foreword by Ilia Delio.
“What a wonderful book! Only Matt Fox could bring to life the wisdom and brilliance of Aquinas with so much creativity. The Tao of Thomas Aquinas is a masterpiece.”
–Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit
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3 thoughts on “Leadership, Past and Present”
The answer to the valid question, “Why are Western democracies allowing, or even favoring, the ascent to power of people who lack true moral consciousness, even showing signs of sociopathic behaviors, yet flaunt their morality and their religiosity?” is not blowing in the wind but can be found in a “berry bush”.
1) The environmental poet Wendell Berry answers: “If we have become a people incapable/of thought, then the brute-thought/of mere power and mere greed/will think for us.
If we have become incapable/of denying ourselves anything, / then all that we have/will be taken from us.
If we have no compassion, / we will suffer alone, we will suffer/alone the destruction of ourselves.
These are merely the laws of this world/as known to Shakespeare, / as known to Milton: / When we cease from human thought, / a low and effective cunning/stirs in the most inhuman minds.” [https://reflections.yale.edu/article/money-and-morals-after-crash/poem-sabbath-xii]
2) Another Berry, the geologian Thomas Berry, shows, in “The Great Work” and “Evening Thoughts” how urgent it is to awaken from the drunken stupor induced by an industrial paradigm that has made western democracies open bars catering to avid consumers.
In the US, we’ve come so close in recent presidential elections that could have made profound national and world humanitarian societal changes under such leaders as Gore, Clinton, and Harris. The last two mentioned would have even been our first female US president. If all people had voted, we would have had one of these more enlightened and democratic presidents. Instead, our crises of authoritarianism, climate change, and social inequalities are getting worse. Maintaining our Faith and struggle for inner and outer Love, Wisdom, Truth, Peace, and Justice personally and together on Our spiritual journeys are more important than ever for the survival of Our Sacred Mother Earth, Our human species, and Our human evolution…
Compassion and kindness, high level of education, reason, moderation, commitment to human rights for all, animals and the environment, common sense, experience and expertise, dedication to decency and democracy, clear communication, practical problem solver, educated understanding of economies.