Pope Francis Tells It Like It Truly Is

Pope Francis Tells It Like It Truly Is

Today on Facebook, a meme came from SANDERS.SENATE.GOV and this was it:

The other day, on my Facebook page, I was saying how we do not truly have freedom of speech for many reasons. Among them, was that “we live in a corporate dictatorship.” The sad truth is that, no matter how much our leaders tell us that we should be honest, everything in our society, from the time we are born, tells us to lie, steal, and cheat. Almost everything is fake. That’s not just a modern complaint; the ancients had the same problem. Moses faced the Golden Calf. The Romans claimed that they were liberal about worshipping various gods, but when it came to the Jewish god, this claim was not true.

John the Baptist and Jesus were both executed for speaking truth. In John’s case, it was because he railed against Herod breaking Jewish law by marrying his brother’s wife. Herod was supposed to be the leader of the Jews but he felt that he was above the law. Sounds like a lot of people in the news these days. And we all know what happened to Jesus Christ. Crucified. Just because he said words that the Romans took offense at. Sounds like all the authoritarian dictatorships in today’s world.

Jesus tried to pave the way for the betterment of humanity. Have we truly progressed? I think not. Remember Copernicus? Galileo? They were the victims of Christianity gone rogue; the sweet and gentle religion that Jesus died for had turned into vicious Crusades and the Inquisition. If anything, in modern times we are very much like the people in the desert worshipping the golden calf while Moses went to seek the word of G-d. We are still a society that reveres power and money, and sacrifices goodness for it. From making shoddy—and sometimes dangerous—products to creating little corporate kingdoms and queendoms in which people must bow to the rulers in order to make a living.

Wherein lies this dismal failure? Let’s start in childhood. It begins innocently enough when little Emma says she thinks Aunt Bertha’s green dress is ugly and makes her look fat. Emma is immediately shushed by Mamma, whose embarrassment is very obvious. So, first, we teach our children to tell white lies. That’s not so bad; the intention is to prevent needless hurt caused by brutal frankness.

Let’s move on to when Emma is about 8 years old. She walks into a candy store and steals a pack of gum. When he mother discovers the gum, she is shocked because she knows that Emma didn’t have any money to buy it. So, in an angry tone, she grills Emma. “Did you steal that gum?!!!” Emma hears the anger and becomes afraid of punishment. She knows that, when Mamma sounds that angry, a good smack on her rear is likely to follow. So, Emma invents a way to extricate herself from the situation. “No. My friend, Cathy, gave it to me.” The lie works. Or, if Mamma uncovers the truth, Emma is in for more than a spanking. She probably won’t get to watch TV for a week too. Well, we think, “of course, stealing is wrong and should be punished.”

Here’s the problem: With the best of intentions, Mamma has lost a very good teachable moment. She could have asked Emma calmly how she got the gum. Emma probably would have told the truth. Then what? Then, Mamma could have explained to Emma that it is wrong to take things from other people and that they are hurt when they are robbed. Mamma could have said to Emma: “I forgive you because you didn’t realize this. Let’s go back to the store and say ‘sorry’ and return the gum. I’m sure Mr. Finkelstein will understand and forgive you too.” And, if the good Mr. Finkelstein realizes that Emma and her mother are trying to right a wrong, he, too may forgive the child.

Which lesson is better for Emma? In the first scenario, Emma has learned that lying is convenient and easy. She is able to steal and lie to get what she wants and not be punished. In the second scenario, Emma learns that she did something wrong, but that she can fix it. She can be forgiven. This is what mercy is all about. This is what Jesus meant when he said to the prostitute “go, and sin no more.”

Unfortunately, too many children learn the wrong lesson. This persists through school and college and then into the workplace, which is a particularly harsh and cruel setting to navigate.

Being hierarchical is another problem. Emma learns that she should never contradict a grownup, even if the grownup is wrong. The reason given is that “grownups know more than children and children need to show respect.” If Emma rebels against Aunt Bertha distributing candy to her and her cousins but giving the boys more candy than the girls, instead of being praised for speaking out, Emma is shushed again—this time by both Mamma and Aunt Bertha. The inequality is allowed to persist. Why? Because the grownups should not be contradicted. This is senseless.

Had Mamma told Aunt Bertha that her candy distribution was unfair, maybe Aunt Bertha would be angry. Maybe not? Maybe Aunt Bertha would explain that she thought that the boys were more active, so they needed more candy. Whether or not that is correct isn’t the point. The point is that the event would have been explained rather than simply enforced. Maybe Aunt Bertha, realizing the inequality, would give the girls more candy to make up for the deficit. Or, at least, she might explain why she did it. Or, if Aunt Bertha stalks off in anger, at least Mamma will back Emma up. Emma then learns that she did the right thing, even if some people disagree with her.

In the first scenario, Emma learns that one must always give way to people “above” her. In the second scenario, Emma learns to speak truth to power and that power can sometimes respond well.

And once again, unfortunately, too many children learn about this hierarchy when they are very young, and this negative lesson persists throughout their lives. By the time people reach the brutal workplace, they are already primed to be obedient slaves to their bosses instead of collaborators trying to make things work out the best for everyone.

As Leonard Cohen said: “It starts with your family and soon it comes ’round to your soul.”

Bernie Sanders (by promoting this meme) and Pope Francis are using their positions of power to speak for those of us who have been silenced. Although the law says we have free speech, in truth, we do not. We are, in essence, wage slaves, doomed to lie and cheat and bow down to the hierarchy in order to survive. We are punished every time we dare to do the right thing, correct a wrong, or speak the truth. It’s not crucifixion or torture on the rack, but there is the threat of homelessness caused by economic deprivation. If we lose our jobs because we have done the right thing or spoken the truth instead of pretending that everything is OK, how, indeed, can we survive?

There are worse things occurring that are routinely covered up, such as the police making it open season on black males and devising lies about why they do this. When investigators probe, if they are honest, they reveal a hornets’ nest of racism, crawling with all kinds of nasty actions and statements. This stems from people being taught at an early age that they are superior to other people.

Religious leaders instill a feeling of superiority among their flocks. Such a leader will promise that a particular religion is the only right way and that everybody else’s paths are wrong and will lead to damnation. This backfires badly. Instead of everybody being satisfied to follow their own beliefs, we end up with jihads and other kinds of abuses, such as discrimination against people who are different.

People could be taught to value their own beliefs and to feel strong enough not to have to destroy people who have other faiths. Rabbi Schlomo Carlebach was asked what Jews being a “chosen people” meant. He explained that this designation simply indicated that the Jews had a particular spiritual mission. Then he said: “There are many roads to G-d, and they are all valid.” These are profound words to live by.

Pope Francis, when questioned about gay people, replied: “Who am I to judge?” Jesus associated with prostitutes, lepers, tax collectors, and other hated people. What is the lesson? It’s all about being inclusive. It’s all about living one’s beliefs and allowing other people to live theirs. It’s all about being in the world but not of the world. When one’s faith is strong, one never worries about being tainted because of associations with others. One realizes that people with different values don’t necessarily have to be our best friends, but we can do business with them. We can associate with them in a harmonious way that is inclusive.

Politicians, police officers, CEOs, and religious leaders could use their positions to make life better if they were not beholden to financial interests or to the hierarchy. Laws could be passed that truly serve the people. Communities could be protected against real crimes. Companies could have happy employees working for them to do the best possible jobs. People in their churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, and ashrams could be led to extend mercy and love toward everybody.

I suppose this is my version of Imagine, by the late John Lennon.