The Prophet and the Profits

(One of many versions)

And Jesus said to them — ‘A prophet is not without honor, except in

his own country, and among his kindred, and in his own house’

Mark 6:4

The world has gone topsy-turvy over the past few weeks.

We have witnessed and for some of us contributed to a (political) resurrection, like none ever seen before, and we have watched the arrival of not so much an alien invader but an actual evolutionary mutation of a known enemy virus, that has found us, I.e. humanity, woefully unprepared to deal with it, as it, like any of its brethren, quickly spreads itself around the world. However, where an alien invader might operate with the cliché, “Take me to your leader,” the virus we know as Covid-19 (no this is not the name of a Star Wars droid) does not want to see any leaders but would rather lay waste of everything in its path before a true leader might find a way to stop it.

The lack of leadership in the United States has been a steady path of disappearing over the past 3 years in many areas, as can be seen by the late, the poor response to at first even admitting there was an issue at hand, let alone knowing how to reassure the people that they even care about it. If you do not agree with this comment, perhaps you should just stop reading now, and keep doing whatever else you are doing, as if the world has not already changed all around you.

Let me return to the resurrection story that I mentioned previously. Joe Biden has appeared to win the battle as “The Chosen One” over Bernie Sanders to be able to go to battle and defeat Donald Trump. Only time will tell if this will come true, but since that Saturday night in South Carolina, and the following few Tuesdays, this belief has been shared by the majority of voters in a number of states. It seems that the fight over ideas and policies may have been less important to voters, whether they are black or white, than the apparent groundswell, that began when Jim Clyburn described Joe Biden as a decent man.

It seems to me, that this election is more about finding a person who is decent, which only makes sense if you consider the present inhabitant of the White House.

So, where does that leave us with the ideas, and the policies that have been fought for, discussed, and argued about for the past year?

After this past Tuesday, the math did not look good for Bernie Sanders and it has been clear that he is fully aware of it. For how many years, has Bernie been the voice of, what is now being called as Democratic Socialism? The label alone can be triggering to some, perhaps many, but what it comes down to is creating a fairer society than it appears presently exists with the rich, the wealthy having more political power than the vast majority of people. His voice has been that of a revolutionary, “We must change the system, as it is unjust,” he screams. He is followed by the younger parts of the population, not only because they young are always more idealistic (I can barely remember those days of my own), but they are also the ones that have become the sufferers of the unjust systems that Bernie talks about, so the resonance of his message rings true.

However, the math no longer seems to be in Bernie’s favor to become “The Chosen One.” Not that he too, is not a decent man, which in all probability he is, but rather he is caught in the perceptive battle, that Joe is more decent, especially by a vast majority of Black Americans, which when once observed by many everywhere, say they agree, thanks for showing us this path.

On this past Wednesday afternoon, Sanders appeared after the latest election, and there was a metamorphosis that I saw. He knew that the battle had changed, and he would not be anointed, yet he knew, as he always had known, that his message was still true and important. To me, over the past few weeks, I have not only witnessed the resurrection of Joe Biden but also the birth of the Prophet Bernie Sanders. To me, this birthing has been nurtured and nursed by the arrival of the virus and the total lack of competency to deal with it by the present administration in dealing with it and having the lack of any empathy to the people of the country and the world. Sanders argument for universal, and affordable health care, has been given the visibility as to its need in a way, that no one wishes has occurred, but also no one can deny its need.

Sander’s approach, the approach of the Prophet is now to ask Biden to answer the questions of what he will do, to solve the problems of unfairness that do exist, in a way that might, just might help Joe become a better and maybe more decent man himself. My sense is their difference are not so much about the what, but more about the how and the when, but the Prophet is looking for a commitment, that they both can build the trail to save the people, the country and the world.

The Prophet has never been interested in the profits that the present office holders have been.

As Jesus said above, sometimes the prophet is not honored in his own country, but there is another message here, a very important one.

It is the prophets that are the ones who change the world.

#decencywins