Have you noticed how quickly we can forsake our stated values in the quest for power and control?

Like, who cares about government overreach when you can take over a city whose leadership you don’t like?

Who cares about the constitution or due process when ignoring them makes it easier to get rid of people I deem inconvenient?

Who cares about human trafficking as long as you promise to hate the people I hate?

Who cares about loving my neighbor or caring for the poor if doing so means I can’t get a tax break or cheaper eggs?

Who cares about serial infidelity, constant lying, or the degrading of anyone who doesn’t fit a particular mold, as long as we get to rule with an iron fist?

Who cares about how we get things done or who we hurt or what things we have to excuse as long as I get what I get what want?

Who cares as long as I benefit? As long as I’m part of the group in control? As long as I get more comfortable?

Yes, values and priorities can change (and we should be honest when they do), but if we find that moral consistency is a roadblock to getting what we want, we need to seriously reflect on what matters most and where we find our center. If our stated values are in the way of where we are going, it is the destination that should be abandoned, not the values.

Abandoning our principals or justifying the unjustifiable in pursuit of power is a death sentence for our souls. And potentially for the institutions and organizations we claim to love. It doesn’t get us to a better future faster. It unmoors us – sets us adrift into chaos and violence and turns us over to whatever feels good now.

This is not the way, friends. There are no shortcuts to a better world.

May we find our values, again. May we be people of consistency who refuse to be swayed by all that is shiny and promises us comfort or control. May we be people of courage and conviction who will not be moved even if it costs us. And may we find ourselves building the better world simply by being true to what matters most.