Pray for George

This a reprinting of my quarterly column--Eye on the Pie which appears in Rudolf's Diner. Please pass it on and Pray for George.

I am beginning to believe that we need to start a national movement called “Pray for George” in which we concertedly pray for George Bush to be a better President. The reasons are straightforward: first of all, he is our President for the next three years, like it or not (not) and it would literally be better for the world if he would behave better/differently; secondly, it is painful and divisive to hold so much hatred and anger towards anyone, least of all the most important world leader—it is not a peaceful decision; thirdly, it would be useful to show the nation that we can pray too, that prayer is not reserved for people who hate gay marriage.

The first reason is the hardest for people who aren’t fans of the President to swallow: “Why would I want to pray for George Bush to be a better President? I don’t want him to be President at all. I don’t want for him to succeed. I don’t want him to improve. I want this administration to pull the Republican party down the toilet with it for a generation.”

Alrighty then. But do you really mean what you say? Do you really want things to get worse before they get better? If you could snap your fingers and George Bush could suddenly improve the environment, create a real universal health care system and establish world peace, wouldn’t you want him to, even though he’s George Bush? I’m not saying that this is a likely scenario. But I am saying that by freezing in our collective conscious and unconscious minds a vision of George Bush that is evil, incompetent and unsuccessful, we enshrine that George Bush and insure that that is whom he shows up as each and every day.

Second reason, closely related to the first: it is painful to hate someone as much as many of us hate George Bush. To have a significant portion of the world population filled with bitterness, bile and hatred at our leader is really terrifying. Ghandi said it best, “be the change you want to see.” So it starts here with us—praying for George will be healing for us all.

Actually it is easy with this man—he’s so clearly human. He’s so clearly flawed. He’s so clearly in over his head. I’m not asking you to forgive or pray for Dick Cheney—we no doubt should, but somehow “Pray for Dick” has a different ring and it might get some of our email diverted by anti-porn programs.

Third reason, which probably has the most cynical appeal, although I don’t personally mean it that way: show middle America that we can pray too. This proposed action really performs a bit of political jiujitsu on the Christian right. It takes up a bit where Martin Luther King, Jr. left off. Pray for George is there to help the President be the best that he can be. Pray for George out Christians the Christians by loving the man we have hated most (well almost the most, see Pray for Dick discussion above).

Let’s flesh the Pray for George campaign out a bit. How would it work? Set up a website at www.prayforgeorge.com (I just bought the domain name, $8.95 at www.godaddy.com, I am telling you) which has a prayer kit for any individual, church or organization that wants to pray for George. Also buttons, t-shirts, hats, etc. Spread the word through existing churches, networks, viral email campaigns.

There are those among us who fret about a couple of other factors: won’t Pray for George distract people from “real” action like working to change the Congress? Won’t Pray for George be a diversion from the real issues? I argue no. For one thing, the amount of media attention this campaign is likely to get once it takes off will significantly help those efforts.

More importantly, this campaign might be able to open some ears to hear our message. When you proceed from love instead of hate, people who haven’t been your allies relax, let down their guard and can hear you. The best kept secret in American politics is that Americans agree on far more than we disagree on. We have a wealth of shared values. We have a wealth of shared experiences. We have a wealth of shared dreams.

Yet partisan handlers highlight and distort our differences so we're unlikely to ever get close enough to "the other" to find out that, hey, they're actually remarkably similar to us.

Like virtually all Americans, we share a core set of values, including: respect, responsibility, fairness, and belief in a greater power. We all want:
• The best for our children
• Plentiful and safe food, water, and air
• Peaceful and livable communities with good schools
• Meaningful jobs, businesses, and opportunities for advancement
• Freedom to make our own decisions

Let’s pray for George so that we can hear each other clearly.

So here is my prayer for George:
I know there is only one power of love within and without us that connects us all.
It runs through us and in us and around us.
Where there is the appearance of dischord, there is only harmony.
Where there is the appearance of violence, there is only peace.
Where there is the appearance of incompetence and chaos, there is only divine right order.
We are swimming in that harmony, peace and divine right order.
And we call it love.
And we call it God.
And we call it good.

And I know that I am a unique manifestation of this power of love.
And as I know this for me, I know this for George Bush, President of the United States of America.
George is a powerful manifestation of this love and power for good that connects us all.
Where George appears to be incompetent, he is capability itself.
Where George appears to be warlike, he is peace itself.
Where George appears to be mean-spirited, his heart is open, gracious, loving and good; He wants the best for his people.

And he produces the best for his people.
Since there is only one mind and George is a product of that one mind,
George has access to all that mind knows.
George has always believed that his top advisor is Jesus the Christ.
George’s heart is now open so that he can listen to the Christ.
George’s body is imbued with Christ consciousness, the Christ of love, the Christ of forgiveness, the Christ of peace, the Christ of charity, the Christ of abundance, the Christ of mercy.

And with this Christ consciousness and the awareness of his role in the world, comes a call to action:
A call to change.
A call to love.
George’s spirit is courageous and true and able to manifest the true spiritual teachings of this consciousness.
George lives and embodies these changes.
George is peace, order, capability and harmony itself.
He is a true leader.

And so I am profoundly humbled and grateful as I utter these words.
I know them to be true.
I know them to be so true and so right and so good that I weep with joy.
I weep with joy at the knowledge that God has a better world
already built for us then the one we think we live in.
I weep with joy at the knowledge that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

And so, knowing that it has been done and that George and the world are good, I ask only that this good be revealed to us right here and right now.

I take my hands off it and let it go, knowing that my word spoken into the law of God will make it so.

And so it is. Thank you infinite spirit. Amen.