Restoring Government of the People: A Citizen’s Petition

27 Mar 2026 22 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

We the people and citizens of the United States of America want to return this country to responsible, ethical and efficient government.  Over the years, inevitable creep has occurred in all branches of government leading to situations that are no longer consistent with the principles and values of our Founding Fathers.  These “Ten Points for Effective and Efficient Government” would be a start to restoring the Democracy that this country was founded on.  You do not have to believe in all of these points to sign this petition, but if you believe in at least seven of the points, we hope you will sign this petition for a Government that once again is By the People, For the People and of the People.

  1. Term Limits

Over the years, our population has increased in life expectancy.  Term limits would help insure that new blood and vitality is injected into our political system.  Ideally, two terms of six years each would help an elected official achieve their stated goals and aims.  These term limits would apply to all elected officials holding seats in any legislative office of the country.

  1. Illegal Lobbying

Lobbying is legal bribery.  An official is given campaign money if they support the lobbyists agenda.  In other areas of business, this would be called bribery and would be illegal.  We need to make lobbying illegal in all of the government and make those trying to use money to persuade politicians guilty of bribery.

  1. Limits on time in office for Supreme Court Justices

No one of the Founding Fathers ever thought that the average judge would live to 80 + years.  We need to cap a Judges tenure at 20 years.  Anything more than that puts our law in the hands of people who are no longer in touch with the average citizen.

  1. Non-Partisan selection of all Federal and State Justices

The system of allowing a politician to select our Judges distorts the law and puts a bias in courtroom decisions based on political affiliations.  We need to have a non-partisan panel of legal experts who select our Federal and State Judges based on specific criteria related to professionalism, ethics and the ability to render judgements irrespective of political affiliations.

  1. Campaign Spending Limits

If campaigns can be won or lost based on monetary expenditures than we do not have a government of the people.  We have a government where he or she who has the most money gets elected.  It becomes the Golden Rule:  “Whosoever has the most gold makes the rules.”  We need to have campaign spending limits and get corporations out of the business of funding political campaigns.

  1. Limits to holding elected offices consecutively

It will not do any good to have term limits if elected officials can simply jump to another government position either elected or appointed.  We need to insure a turnover of all elected and appointed government officials.  This can only be assured my limiting the number of political offices that they can hold consecutively whether appointed or elected.  We do not need lifers in Government but people who bring new visions and new skills.  We should limit the number of combined elected or appointed political positions that can be held to no more than three positions for a total of no more than 18 years which would combine both appointments and elections.

  1. Funding for Elected Officials during Government Shutdowns

When Congress cannot do its duty by funding the government and employees can not receive a paycheck, than Congress should also have their paychecks suspended for the duration of the shutdown.  As they say, “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

  1. Compulsory National Service for all US Citizens

Every American Citizen at the age of 18 must elect for National Service of either two or four years.  This obligation can be satisfied by either military or civilian service such as the Peace Corp or other civilian programs.  Two years would be the minimum for compulsory service.  Two years of National Service would earn two year of paid education benefits.  Four years of National Service would earn four years of paid education benefits.

  1. Caps on all budgets including Military, Education, Health Care

Government cannot be fiscally responsible when politicians are free to print all the money they want to spend.  We need mandatory caps on all budgets to insure that good financial policy is followed.  It is too easy for money to be allocated when there is no ceiling to how much can be spent.  Can you imagine what would happen in your home if you were free to just spend as much money as you wanted to?

  1. Campaign Communication Integrity

There is a myth that Free Speech means you can say anything you want to.  This is not true.  Our democracy depends on truth and respect.  Today’s campaigns too often rely on misinformation, personal attacks, and division.  We call for stronger accountability for knowingly false or defamatory statements and a return to fact-based, civil debate.  This is not about limiting free speech—it is about restoring trust, honesty, and integrity in our elections.  We need to restore civility and open mindedness to the campaign process.  We have demonized other parties, slandered opponents, descended to lies and name calling to the extent that they have become commonplace in our elections.  We need to restore human decency to elections.

Petition Summary

This petition represents a call from citizens who believe that the strength of the United States lies not only in its founding ideals, but in our willingness to renew them.  Over time, the structures of government have evolved in ways that many feel no longer reflect the balance, accountability, and ethical standards envisioned at the nation’s founding. This proposal outlines ten practical reforms designed to restore trust, improve efficiency, and reestablish a government that truly serves its people.

These reforms focus on limiting excessive concentration of power, reducing the influence of money in politics, ensuring fairness and impartiality in the judicial system, and promoting shared civic responsibility. They are not intended to favor any political party or ideology, but rather to strengthen the integrity of the system itself.

If you support the majority of these principles, we invite you to sign this petition and join in a constructive effort to help guide our nation toward a more accountable, effective, and unified future—one that lives up to the enduring promise of government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

If you want to add your name to this petition.  Send a copy to me at persico.john@gmail.com.  I will compile as many names as I can to eventually send to media and elected officials. 

If you are comfortable doing so and can support 70 percent of the ideas in this petition, than would you please help share this petition.  Names can be sent back to me at Persico.john@gmail.com  I will compile as many names as I can to use in contacting media and elected officials.  I have no naïve beliefs that in the short term this will change anything.  However, if over time we can all stand up for the things that really matter, we may eventually have a tidal wave that will sweep away the old system and usher in a new era of peace, justice and equality for all. 

                                              

                                               

                                               

                                               

                                               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why History Takes Some People Seriously — J. Persico and Metis-AI Expert

12 Jul 2026 Leave a comment

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Sometimes my best blog ideas come at 3 AM in the morning.  This morning I woke up thinking about “What does it take to be taken seriously?”  Are people just reading my blogs and thinking “That sounds nice” or “Sounds like a good idea but not for me.”  I hope that I am writing these blogs as more than mere entertainment.  I want my ideas to be taken seriously.  But what does that mean to be taken seriously? 

I wrote down the title and then decided to list several people I know who I thought were taken seriously.  My simplistic definition of “seriously” at this point simply meant that lots of people have read or listened to the ideas of these “great” people. 

I decided to go to Metis, my AI assistant with the following prompt:

“What did the following writers all have in common: Thomas Hobbes, Rousseau, Voltaire, Harriet Stowe, George Orwell, Charles Dickens and Shakespeare?”

Metis replied:

That’s a good one, John.  My first reaction is that there are several defensible answers, but I suspect you’re aiming at something deeper than “they were all famous writers.”

The strongest common thread is this:

They all used the written word as a weapon to challenge the prevailing order and change how people thought about society.

Each of them attacked an accepted belief, institution, or power structure:

  • Thomas Hobbes redefined the purpose of government through the social contract.
  • Jean-Jacques Rousseau argued that legitimate government rests on the will of the people.
  • Voltaire attacked religious intolerance, censorship, and absolutism.
  • Harriet Beecher Stowe exposed the human cost of slavery and galvanized abolitionist sentiment.
  • George Orwell warned against totalitarianism, propaganda, and the abuse of language.
  • Charles Dickens exposed poverty, child labor, and the injustices of industrial society.
  • William Shakespeare explored ambition, power, justice, tyranny, love, and the human condition in ways that continue to shape Western thought.

Another fascinating connection is that almost all of them made powerful people uncomfortable. Kings, churches, governments, aristocracies, slaveholders, industrialists, or dictators viewed their ideas as dangerous.  Many were censored, persecuted, exiled, or vilified during their lifetimes.

This reply really did not help me.  These writers received popularity and fame but were they taken seriously?  It struck me that perhaps they were seen more as interesting and entertaining than people who were making a profound impact on the destiny of the human race.  Like celebrities on at TV show.  Oprah, Kimmel, and others.  We watch them and then go back to our daily lives and nothing changes. 

I needed to sharpen my definition of what I meant by “taken seriously.” 

I went back to bed.  The next morning, I went back to the proverbial drawing board and came up with another group of people who I thought really made a difference.  I again wrote another prompt for Metis: 

“After I went back to bed last night, I thought of another angle on this subject.  Not just who was widely read but whose writings had the most impact on human history.  I came up with the following list:  None can argue that these men did not make an impact.  My new list included:  Jesus, Mohammed, Confucious, Aristotle, Buddha, Martin Luther, Karl Marx, Lao Tzu, Moses and Plato.”

“I think if you can extract some common principles that made these writers, philosophers and prophets not just listened to but acted on to create changes in the world, I will have a good outline for my paper on Being taken Seriously.” 

______________________________________________________________________________

Metis Again Replied:

John, I actually think you’ve sharpened the question considerably.

Instead of asking, “Who were the greatest writers?” you’re asking,

“What characteristics did the people have whose ideas actually changed civilization?”

That’s a much richer question because it looks at impact, not literary style.

Looking at your list—Jesus, Muhammad, Confucius, Aristotle, Gautama Buddha, Martin Luther, Karl Marx, Lao Tzu, Moses, and Plato—their conclusions are often incompatible.  Yet they share remarkable structural similarities.

If I were writing your paper, I would argue that history takes people seriously for reasons that have little to do with charisma or fame.

Here is the outline I would propose.

The Ten Characteristics of Civilization-Changing Thinkers

1. They addressed humanity’s biggest questions.

None of them wrote about trivial matters.

2. They built a complete worldview.

They did not simply solve one problem.  Each created an intellectual framework.

3. They challenged the existing order.

Every one of them questioned prevailing authority.

4. They made complicated ideas understandable.

This may be one of the greatest lessons.  Jesus used parables.  Buddha used stories.

5. They appealed to something higher than self-interest.

They asked people to live for something larger.  Truth, justice, freedom, equality

6. They connected ideas with action.

None merely described reality.  Each expected followers to live differently.

7. They embodied their teachings.

Whether one agrees with them or not, followers generally believed these leaders sincerely lived what they taught.

8. They endured opposition.

Nearly every civilization-changing thinker paid a price.  Ridicule.  Persecution.

9. They created communities, not merely readers.

This may be the single biggest distinction.  Millions have read Dickens.  Millions have read Shakespeare. 

Few formed lifelong communities around them.

Your list created civilizations.

10. Their ideas remained useful across generations.

This may be the ultimate test.  If an idea still helps people solve problems hundreds or thousands of years later, it possesses unusual depth.

That is why we are still discussing Aristotle after 2,300 years.

History is filled with people who were famous.  It is far more selective about those it takes seriously.  Fame attracts attention.  Being taken seriously changes civilization.

John: 

When I worked In quality improvement, we taught our clients about process and outcomes.  One is cause and the other is effect.  The ten factors that Metis described above all deal with outcomes.  What we need to write and to be taken seriously are processes or causes that link to outcomes.  Based on the research I did, I have come up with ten process factors that link to the ten outcomes above.  Not on a one to one basis but more on a multi-factor basis in that several causes may link to one or more effects. 

What this means to a writer that wants to be taken seriously is that you need to address as many of these process factors as possible.  I will go through each of them individually with my own experiences and opinions.  I certainly do not claim to have changed civilization.  What follows is simply my attempt to identify the habits shared by those who did change the world.  On the other hand, great coaches are seldom great athletes.  Great teachers are seldom great philosophers.  Some of us can see what needs to be done but are not really capable of doing it ourselves.  I invite those of you who have had more impact with your writings to critique my viewpoints and hopefully add your own.  My comments section is open to any discussion and ideas you might choose to share. 

How to Be Taken Seriously?

A person is taken seriously not because they are loud, famous, or certain.  They are taken seriously because they consistently demonstrate qualities that thoughtful people respect.

1. Seek truth above winning.

    Your loyalty should be to the evidence, not to your ideology.  Let the facts speak.  A court of law should be governed by facts and evidence but too often, the egos of the lawyers are driven by winning and not justice.  Do not let your writing resemble an unfair trial.  Be rigorous to the evidence.  Admit what you do not know.  Socrates, the wisest man in Greece claimed to know nothing.

      2. Challenge assumptions – including your own.

      Every great thinker questioned accepted wisdom before questioning others.  I had two rules when I was consulting.  One was to never assume.  Check out all my assumptions.  Hold everything that I think is true as a possibility and not an absolute truth.  Absolute truth is another name for God and unless you are God, you do not have an absolute truth.  Darwin took twenty years of research before he published his conclusions.

      3. Understand before criticizing.

      The strongest arguments begin with accurately presenting the opposing view.  A good friend of mine told me about the time he was in a meeting speaking when someone replied, “That is stupid.”  My friend was one of the smartest people I ever knew.  This incensed me on behalf of my friend.  In my younger days, I would have punched this ass in the mouth if he had called me stupid. 

      I asked my friend what did he say?  He replied, “I asked him why he thought it was stupid?”   I will never forget this.  It was well beyond my capacity to imagine anyone calling me stupid and then simply requesting their opinion.  At a company business meeting, I once threatened to throw another colleague out the window for a sarcastic remark he made.  Most thought I was joking.  I admired my friend for his open-mindedness and restraint.  I hope I have learned some of it in old age.

      4. Appeal to both reason and humanity. 

      Facts inform minds.  Stories move hearts.  I have learned this lesson only in the past few years or so.  I now realize why we have a heart and a brain.  They are both channels of communication.  Your writing will be more powerful and persuasive if you address both.  Jesus told stories that spoke to the heart as well as the mind.  The story of the adulterous woman and the prodigal son are two stories that have resonated with the world for over 2000 years. 

      5.  Write clearly.

      If an intelligent high-school student cannot understand your point, the problem is probably not with the student.  After completing my Ph.D., I took a position in a quality consulting firm called PMI for Process Management Institute.  I wanted to be considered a serious consultant, so my education continued after I took this position.  I published over fifty papers and two books during my time as a consultant. 

      However, I was not writing for the academic world, I was writing for the business world.  I had to unlearn “academese” and learn to speak English again; one syllable at a time over the next few years.  As my English teacher once told me, there are two ways that you can say anything.  You can say “Up the proverbial estuary without means of locomotion” or you can say “Up shit creek without a paddle.”  The first will only be understood by a select group of scholars while the second will be understood by just about anybody who speaks the English language.

      6. Speak about enduring principles.

      Justice, freedom, dignity, responsibility, compassion, truth, and courage never go out of style.  What are you about?  Why do you want to be taken seriously?  Changing people requires them to buy into more than just your hats or t-shirts.  People are motivated by visions and missions that promise them a better life.  If you want your ideas to be taken seriously, your writing must hold out the possibility of living in a better world.  Patrick Henry will never be forgotten because he was willing to choose liberty even if it meant his death.  

      7. Admit uncertainty.

      Nothing builds credibility faster than saying, “I don’t know,” when you don’t know.  Perhaps the downfall of many leaders and managers has been an inability to admit what they do not know.  Ironically, none of us trust the “know it all.”  Yet, we all have a difficult time saying, “I did not know that.”  Or “I do not understand, can you explain it to me?” 

      Ego has led to the downfall of many a great person.  The man or woman who can admit uncertainty is someone we trust more than the person who is sure of everything they say.  Napoleon refused to admit that there was any possibility he could be defeated when he invaded Russia.  His arrogance led to the almost total destruction of his army.  Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Russia in June 1812 with approximately 600,000 to 650,000 troops.  After six months of brutal fighting, extreme cold, starvation, and disease, only an estimated 100,000 to 112,000 soldiers survived the retreat out of Russia.  Hitler was warned but he made the same mistake.

      8. Change your mind when the evidence changes.

      Dogmatism destroys credibility; intellectual humility strengthens it.  Intellectual humility can save your life.  Every year, many people will die on hiking trails in Arizona during the hot summer months.  They will be told “You should not be out on this trail; it is too hot.”  They will ignore the warming or say something like “I have been running, hiking, working out, lifting weights etc. for more years than you are old.  I can handle it so don’t worry.”  These are the famous last words of many people who had little or no humility. 

      The Titanic is a classic example of a lack of intellectual humility.  It was believed that nothing (even God) could sink this great ship.  So sure, were the builders and owners that they only had 20 lifeboats on the ship.  This was not even enough for half of the passengers.  They also ignored numerous warnings of icebergs since they believed that nothing could sink the Titanic.  The rest is a well known story. 

      9. Offer solutions, not merely complaints.

      Anyone can criticize.  The serious thinker proposes a better path.  One of the personal problems I have with so many authors and writers is that they do a great critique of the issue or problem.  Than we come to the last chapter and their conclusions and suggestions for change are either non-existent or incredibly naïve.  I find academics usually have better solutions than journalists.  Journalists are excellent at describing problems but seldom can propose any useful solutions.  Do not just tell others what is wrong.  Spend as much time, telling them what they can possibly do to change things now.  Give them hope and a vision and not just woe and sorrow. 

      10. Live consistently with what you write.

        Character is the ultimate source of credibility.  People are taken seriously not because they seek influence, but because they consistently demonstrate wisdom, integrity, courage, clarity, and a commitment to truths larger than themselves.  I can think of no more powerful word that I want to live my life by than that of Integrity.  It is a shame that today we see so many people impressed by outcomes regardless  of the integrity of the person associated with them.  Jesus said “What doth it profit a man if he gains the whole world but suffers the loss of his own soul.”  

        John F. Kennedy wrote a book called “Profiles in Courage.”  It featured eight United States Senators who risked their careers, reputations, and political futures by standing up for their personal principles.  Defying their constituents and political parties, these lawmakers prioritized national interest and moral conscience over personal ambition; thus, establishing a timeless standard for political integrity.

        Among my favorites stories was the case of Sam Houston who repeatedly defied mobs and risked his life by speaking out against the secession of Texas from the Union in 1861.  Several times he was threatened with being lynched for his beliefs, but he never backed down. 

        11. Ask unforgettable questions.

        Socrates’ legacy wasn’t a doctrine or a body of parables and principles, but a method of questioning.  Jesus frequently answered questions with questions.  Buddha often taught through dialogue.  Confucius framed moral reflection through inquiry.  Plato’s dialogues revolve around probing assumptions.  Even Marx began with the question of why economic inequality persists.  If you want to get peoples’ attention, start with a powerful question. 

        12. Pursue Significance, Not Wealth.  Write to be useful.  Write to make a difference.

        Today, there are thousands of people trying to make a living on the internet as media influencers.  Many of them care passionately about their ideas and what they see as methods to help people live better lives.  Unfortunately, there are many who care only about the money they think they can make by having hundreds or even thousands of subscribers. 

        I wrote a blog challenging people on this premise.  I understand that you can write to make money, but that is a very different animal than writing to help people live better lives.  Each of these directions start out from very different assumptions.  One is based on helping yourself while the other is based on helping others.  

        One of the most surprising discoveries I made while researching the most influential people in history was that very few became wealthy.  Of the ten civilization-changing figures I studied—Jesus, Muhammad, Confucius, Aristotle, Buddha, Martin Luther, Karl Marx, Lao Tzu, Moses, and Plato—none became fabulously rich.  Only Aristotle and Plato lived comfortably.  Buddha renounced a life of wealth, and most of the others lived modestly or even in poverty.

        Yet their ideas transformed civilizations and continue to influence billions of people today.  History rarely remembers people for what they accumulated; it remembers them for what they contributed.  If your primary goal is wealth, people may question your motives.  If your primary goal is truth, service, and improving the human condition, your ideas are far more likely to be taken seriously.

        Conclusions:

        History has never lacked intelligent people.  It has never lacked eloquent people.  It has never lacked passionate people.

        What it has always lacked are men and women whose character gives lasting credibility to their ideas.

        Being taken seriously is not something you demand from others.  It is something you earn.  

        You earn it – one act of integrity, one act of humility, one act of courage, and one act of truthfulness at a time.

        The End.

        The Christian Hypocrisy Jesus Condemned

        08 Jul 2026 34 Comments

        by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

        You have eyes but you do not see.  You have ears but you do not hear.  You say the words, but you ignore the deeds.  You claim to profess a belief in Christ, but you do not live according to the words of Christ.  You follow Christ by your own desires but not by the desires of Christ. 

        O Ye Christian Hypocrites!

        Let me be clear.  I have known many Christians whose lives reflected extraordinary compassion, humility, mercy, and sacrifice.  This essay is not about them.  It is about those who invoke Christ’s name while ignoring Christ’s teachings.

        I have watched Christians for seventy years now and what I see are too many hypocrites.  People who commit the same sins over and over again, buoyed up by their belief that they will be forgiven.  Forever forgiven for their debts and trespasses.  They call out the Lord’s name over and over again, “Please forgive my sins” but they do not change how they live or what they do. 

        O Ye Christian Hypocrites!

        You rant and rail against those who disagree with the specific brand of Christianity that you belong to.  All the rest of the Christians in the world will not be allowed in the same heaven as your Christian sect.  You demand that the Government put the Ten Commandments of Moses in the schools.  You demand they be put in City and Municipal offices.  You want to tear down the wall separating Government from Religion so that America can become a Christian Nation. 

        You ignore the fact that nothing, absolutely nothing in the Declaration of Independence calls for America to be a Christian Nation.  Where it says “God,” in your hypocrisy you read Christ.  Where it says “Creator” you read Christ.  The Founding Fathers knew what it was like to live under religious tyranny.  That is why they were wise enough to open the doors of America to all religions.   Religions such as  Congregationalists, Quakers, Calvinists, Muslims, Catholics, and Jews were all welcome. 

        O Ye Christian Hypocrites!

        If this hypocrisy was not enough, the worst is still to come.  The Christians who totally ignore the Sermon on the Mount.  Not the commands of Moses.  Not the commands of Joseph.  Not the commands of Isaiah.  The very commands of  Jesus on how to live and what to live for and by.  In my eighty years, I cannot recall hearing Christians campaign for the Sermon on the Mount with anything approaching the fervor devoted to displaying the Ten Commandments.  I have never heard a Christian demanding the Sermon on the Mount be placed in any schools.  Never in any Church.  Never in any Government Office.  The words of Moses and the Old Testament flow easily on the lips of many Christians but the very words of Jesus himself are ignored.  They are ignored or treated like so much heresy. 

        The Sermon on the Mount – Christ’s Beatitudes:

        The  Beatitudes are a series of blessings that are part of a more extensive order of teachings, including the Lord’s Prayer, called “The Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7).  The Beatitudes describe the virtues and attitudes of those who will inherit God’s Kingdom.  

        The Sermon on the Mount and its blessings, the Beatitudes, were purposefully spoken by Jesus to challenge our conventional thinking, to turn our world upside down and guide the disciples and those who followed Jesus into a “new” and genuine Biblical life that reflected the attributes and values of God’s Kingdom.

        • Love for all people, even our enemies
        • Servitude over acquiring earthly wealth and power

        These values opposed the law of retribution (eye for an eye) provided for within the Old Covenant and the Law of condemnation under the weight of sin leading to death.  

        They also oppose the entirety of this world’s systems and values, which are measured by accumulating wealth and power.

        Let us look at what Jesus said and what he wanted Christians to do in this world. 

        The Beatitudes from Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount

        1.  Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

        Jesus placed this first because spiritual humility is the foundational starting point for entering a relationship with God.  You must acknowledge your spiritual need before you can receive spiritual wealth.  Those who are too arrogant to accept the help of God will not receive it nor will they enter God’s Kingdom.

        •  Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 

        Mourning” goes beyond standard bereavement.  It refers to a broken heart over one’s own moral failures and the pain caused by turning away from God.  However, It also includes feeling deep sorrow for the injustice, tragedy, and pain present in the world.  Not just in your own little family or your own church but for all the people suffering in the world whether from disease, injustice, famine, or politics.  Jesus meant for us to be Citizens of the World and not just our own little corner of the world.

        • Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the Earth.

        While the aggressive and ruthless seem to conquer the world now, Jesus promises that the quiet, trusting, and resilient will ultimately inherit the renewed creation.  The people with faith in his words.  The people who are silent but live out the words of Jesus in action and deeds.  Not the men and women who boast loudly of their faith like the Pharisee bragging about his wealth and contributions.

        • Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

        Do these hypocritical Christians even know what righteousness means?  Do they think the mansions of the rich and famous are full of “Righteous” people?  Do they think the politicians collecting their bribes from lobbyists and corporations are “Righteous” people?

        According to Judaism a “Righteous person” is someone who acts justly, showing mercy, and fulfilling moral and communal obligations.  Jesus saw true righteousness as results in practical actions.  It means treating others with fairness, defending the vulnerable, showing mercy, and actively seeking justice. 

        O Ye Christian Hypocrites!

        It saddens me to get this far with the Words of Jesus.  It is exceedingly difficult to live in a world with people who profess one thing but do another.  People who claim that they want the USA to be a “Christian” nation, but who support violence, hatred, intolerance, and bigotry to others.  People who think that only members of their clans deserve respect or deserve to be treated like Jesus thought all people should be treated. 

        The questions that beg to be answered all start with Why?  Why do people who claim to be followers of Jesus not follow his words?  Why do people who read the bible and go to church regularly have a fundamental misunderstanding of the Beatitudes and instead practice hate, vengeance and intolerance.  Why do religions become tribes that insulate their members from understanding the beliefs of other religions?  Why is identity often more important than discipleship and following the true words of Jesus? 

        • Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 

        The late Pope Francis authored a book titled,  “The Name of God Is Mercy.”  This book by Pope Francis gave me a deeper understanding of what it meant to be merciful.  I have never been what you might think of as merciful.  Francis said, “A little mercy makes the world less cold and more just.”  This is a beautiful thought.  Jesus also implied that those of us who have hard hearts towards others, the poor, the sick, the immigrants, the elderly would have a tough time being granted the mercy that we could not extend to the truly needy. 

        • Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

        Who among us is truly “Pure” in heart?  What Christian out there would say they are not?  Yet, purity would seem to be an impossibility in this world.  Why then would Jesus put this onus on us?  Was he being unfair?  What did he mean by Pure in Heart?  

        Jesus meant that a pure heart is undivided.  It means loving God with your whole being, rather than having split loyalties between the world and spiritual life.  It means doing the right thing for the right reasons, completely free from hypocrisy, deceit, or the desire to impress others.  Jesus said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”  Jesus did not care for hypocrites, liars, and cheats.  His life exemplified his constant battle with these types of behaviors. 

        • Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the Sons of God.

        This may just be the one that most people regardless of religion whether Christians or not, ignore.  The world seems to run on an engine of violence against others.

         It has been said by some that “Violence is as American as Apple Pie.”  Many Christians seem to have no problem finding passages in the Old Testament to validate any war that their leaders want to support.  Christian leaders as well as other sects have routinely met in the old Rose Garden with the President to bless America and wish us success in vanquishing our enemies. 

        I could understand this idea of violence from people like me who were taught by their parents to never let a slight or slur or assault go unpunished.  But if you say you subscribe to the words of Jesus then show me where Jesus said, “Go smite your enemies.”  When his disciple Peter drew a sword and cut off a man’s ear to protect him during his arrest, Jesus rebuked him.  He commanded Peter to put the sword away, warning that those who rely on violence will perish by it (Matthew 26:52).

        • Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

        Easy to say but so hard to do.  I am amazed by the hundreds of Christians who willingly gave their lives rather than renounce their belief in Jesus or his Father.   Not all Christians by any means are hypocrites.  Many Christians lead exemplary lives.  Many Christians try every day to put the words and ideas of Jesus into practice for themselves and for others. 

        It is easy for me to stand on a soapbox and excoriate Christians for being hypocritical.  I have never denied that in many parts of my life, I am a hypocrite.  I admit it.  I denounce it.  I work to overcome being a sexist, being a racist, being violent, being greedy, being xenophobic.  I know it is not easy since I have never reached the heights spoken of by Jesus.  Yet, I do not support those who claim to be Christians but who by their every word and deed show themselves to be anything but apostles of Jesus Christ. 

        I am fed up with the so called Christian religions and churches that support hatred and violence towards those who do not subscribe to whatever they call Christian beliefs. 

        I am fed up with those who want all Americans to become Christians.

        I am fed up with those who want to wage war on people and nations that do not subscribe to their religious, political, or economic values. 

        Too many of these efforts are led by people who say that they are “Good Christians.”  People who claim they only want to do the will of God.  But the will of God is bent to their own biases and prejudices.

        God save us all from the Christians who profess Christianity but practice a belief system that Jesus would not recognize.

        Christianity does not rest on a change of mind.  It rests on a change of heart. 

        What Does it Take to Have the Courage to Change Your Mind? — by J. Persico and Metis (AI Assistant)

        04 Jul 2026 14 Comments

        by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

        Do you hate to admit when you are wrong?  Do you try to defend your position even when it is indefensible?  If so, do not feel too bad.   You are in great company.   Throughout history, some of the greatest thinkers and most intelligent people in the world have refused to admit when they were dead wrong.   We are going to look at some of the most egregious examples of some very smart people who had some deeply mistaken ideas that they clung to despite  overwhelming evidence that they were dead wrong.   

        Lord Kelvin: When Great Certainty Meets New Evidence

        Lord Kelvin was one of the greatest physicists of the nineteenth century.  His contributions to thermodynamics, electricity, and engineering transformed modern science.  Yet even Kelvin demonstrated that genius is no guarantee against error.

        Kelvin argued that the Earth was only about 20 to 40 million years old.  Using the best physics available at the time, he calculated how long a molten Earth would take to cool to its present temperature.  Geologists and Charles Darwin objected that such a young Earth left far too little time for the slow processes of evolution and geological change, but Kelvin remained convinced that his calculations were correct.

        The missing piece of evidence was unknown to everyone at the time: radioactivity.  After the discovery of radioactive decay in the late 1890s, scientists realized that radioactive elements inside the Earth continually generate heat, dramatically slowing the planet’s cooling.  Modern dating methods now show the Earth is approximately 4.54 billion years old.  Kelvin’s mathematics had been sound—but his assumptions were incomplete.  His refusal to reconsider those assumptions delayed acceptance of the overwhelming evidence.

        Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: When Belief Overrules Evidence

        Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of the supremely logical detective Sherlock Holmes, spent the final decades of his life passionately defending spiritualism.  He became convinced that séances, mediums, ghosts, and communication with the dead were genuine phenomena.

        Despite repeated investigations exposing many famous mediums as frauds, Doyle continued to defend them.  Perhaps the most famous example was his unwavering belief in the Cottingley Fairies photographs, which appeared to show two young girls playing with fairies.  Even after experts questioned the images and evidence accumulated that the photographs had been staged using paper cutouts, Doyle insisted they were authentic.  Decades later, the women involved admitted they had fabricated the photographs.

        Doyle’s story is a powerful reminder that intelligence alone does not protect us from self-deception.  A person may apply rigorous logic in one area of life while allowing hope, emotion, or deeply held beliefs to override evidence in another.  His willingness to believe extraordinary claims despite repeated contrary evidence stands as one of history’s most striking examples of confirmation bias.

        Albert Einstein: The Genius Who Resisted Quantum Reality

        Albert Einstein revolutionized physics through the theories of relativity and helped lay the foundation for quantum theory itself by explaining the photoelectric effect.  Ironically, he spent much of the latter half of his career resisting one of the central conclusions of quantum mechanics.

        Einstein believed that nature had to operate according to precise, deterministic laws.  He rejected the idea that events at the atomic level were fundamentally probabilistic, famously remarking, “God does not play dice with the universe.” Throughout his life he searched for hidden variables that would restore certainty to physics.

        Over the decades, experiment after experiment supported the predictions of quantum mechanics.  The strongest evidence came long after Einstein’s death through tests of Bell’s inequalities, which consistently confirmed quantum entanglement and ruled out the kind of local hidden-variable theories Einstein had hoped would exist.  Today quantum mechanics stands as one of the most thoroughly tested and successful scientific theories ever developed.  Einstein’s skepticism helped sharpen the science, but in the end the evidence proved stronger than his intuition.  Nevertheless, Einstein’s objections helped force physicists to sharpen the theory and design better experiments.  In that sense, he was “wrong about the interpretation he favored,” but immensely valuable in advancing the science.

        Now most of us probably know someone, perhaps not as famous as my three examples, but someone close or dear to our hearts that will never accept that they are wrong about anything.  You can argue with them until you are “blue in the face” and they will never change their mind.  These friends can be infuriating.  But have you ever stopped to think why they refuse to change their minds in the face of sometimes overwhelming evidence?  Psychologists have coined a term for such intransigence and call it “Belief Perseverance.”

        This is the tendency to maintain a belief even after the evidence supporting it has been discredited or disproven.

        Psychologists use this term when people continue believing something despite overwhelming contradictory evidence.

        Example: A person continues to believe a conspiracy theory after every claim has been independently debunked.

        Sometimes Belief Perseverance is confused with a close phenomenon called Confirmation Bias.  They are closely related but not the same. 

        Confirmation Bias is the tendency to seek, notice, and remember only evidence that supports one’s existing beliefs while ignoring contradictory evidence.

        Unlike Belief Perseverance, Confirmation Bias is about how people process information, not necessarily refusing to change after being proven wrong.

        Before we leave the cognitive realm there is one more relevant term that we need to look at.  It is called Cognitive Dissonance.  This is one of my favorites since I have seen so many examples of this in my years on this earth that I have lost track.

        Cognitive Dissonance is the psychological discomfort people experience when facts conflict with what they believe about themselves or the world.  When people are faced with a set of facts that cause them discomfort they will use a variety of ways to rationalize the evidence that ignores the reality in favor of a reality that they are comfortable with.  Like making excuses for someone’s behavior that is clearly immoral or unethical because they want to admire the person.

        Now in today’s world of misinformation, disinformation, lies, distortions, fake ads, false messages, propaganda news, you can be pardoned if you cannot tell the difference between Perseverance Bias, Confirmation Bias and Cognitive Dissonance.  Truth be told, even Einstein could probably not tell the difference.  However, the bottom line here is clear. 

        People, your friends and mine, and even those who are not our friends will continually use distorted logic and distorted facts to cling to ideas and perceptions that are false. 

        And you may never be able to change their minds.  Nothing you say.  Nothing you do.  No experts you call on.  No preachers, teachers, ministers or nightly newscasters will ever make one dint in their belief systems.  Their minds are made up.  They are more than made up.  They are cast in stone, or iron.  You can take a sledgehammer, and you will not make a single dint in their ideas of what is true or not true. 

        So why are we all so stupid that we waste our precious time trying?  Is it truly an impossible task to change anyone’s mind?  If Lord Kelvin, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Albert Einstein would not change their minds, what makes you think that your Aunt or best friend will?  Is the effort to convince them otherwise truly useless?  Perhaps we need to look as some examples in history where people did change their minds.  The most famous example may be Charles Darwin, the founder of “Evolution Theory by Natural Selection.” 

        Charles Darwin provides a striking contrast to those who refused to abandon deeply held beliefs.  Throughout the more than twenty years he spent developing his theory of evolution by natural selection, Darwin deliberately searched for evidence that might prove him wrong.

        Darwin believed that no theory should be protected from evidence.  As he gathered new observations from geology, fossils, animal breeding, and the natural world, he continually refined and revised his thinking.  His willingness to let facts, rather than pride, determine his conclusions exemplifies what we now call Intellectual Humility—the recognition that being wrong is not a personal failure, but refusing to change in the face of convincing evidence demonstrates a lack of Intellectual Humility .

        Darwin’s legacy reminds us that progress, whether in science or in life, belongs not to those who are always right, but to those who are willing to admit when they are wrong.  This brings us face to face with the concept of Intellectual Humility.  This is a willingness to question any concept or belief we hold in the face of new evidence or facts or logic which might question the assumptions upon which we hold said beliefs.  One might readily ask “How in the face of so much misinformation and lies can we tell facts and evidence from lies and fake facts?”  This is not an easy question to answer. 

        Unfortunately, our schools and education systems seem to place more value on providing answers rather than asking questions.  The whole idea of critical thinking comes down to the willingness to ask and consider questions rather than blindly accepting facts.  Socrates was considered the smartest man in Greece because the Oracle said he was the only man who recognized how little he really knew.  The Socratic method is one of deducing truth and understanding by asking questions. 

        Plato in his “Socratic Dialogues” described many of the stories wherein Socrates educated his students by asking questions and not by providing answers.  Ironically, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created perhaps the greatest detective of all time whose main modus operandi was asking questions and keeping an open mind.  Something his creator did not seem to have the ability to do himself.    

        My father gave me a bit of advice which I still adhere to today when I was a child.  He said, “Believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see.”  Lawyers know this truth when it comes to witnesses.  It has been said by the legal profession that “Nothing is as unreliable as an eyewitness.”  These thoughts mark a boundary for my intellectual humility.  It seems to be almost a curse that the smarter someone is, the more intransigent their humility can be. 

        Living here in Arizona, we come into the summer season when temperatures soar into the triple digits.  We have heat warnings in the parks and posted in many public places.  Nevertheless, frequently people ignore these warnings and run or hike down a trail only to come back in a body bag.  Regardless of how many warnings they receive, some people insist that they know better.  They regard the park rangers or DNR people who are trying to warn them as stupid unthinking clods who really don’t know how much experience they have or how tough they are. 

        Belief Perseverance not only affects science and politics, but it also sometimes kills people.

        Go to YouTube and you can find countless examples of people who were so blinded by their own intellectual perceptions of their physical prowess and abilities that they thought they could ignore the advice of others.  There have already been four deaths on park trails in the Grand Canyon this year.  More will come. 

        Many people do not realize that Arizona loses far more people to heat than to lightning, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, mountain lions, bears, rattlesnakes, and scorpions combined.  Heat is, by a wide margin, the state’s deadliest natural hazard. 

        Last year (2025) in Arizona, a total of 680 people died from heat related deaths.  Most were:

        • Over age 50,
        • Had underlying medical conditions,
        • Were outdoors for extended periods or lacked reliable air conditioning,
        • Were experiencing homelessness.

        What does Intellectual Humility have to do with any of these facts?  I think it all comes down to recognizing our own limitations.  Sometimes this is made harder because we “used to be” good at something that we are no longer so good at.  My best time running a 10k was 38”48 seconds.  That is roughly six fifteen per mile.  If I ran one today, my mile times would be about 14 minutes per mile.  I could almost walk faster than I now run.   Our perceptions of ourselves as we used to be can blind us to a reality that we need to face today. 

        Two sayings I like a lot are: 

        • “You got to know when to hold them and when to fold em.”
        • “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change ,the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

        Growing old is never easy.  Letting go of ideas is perhaps even harder.  Intellectual Humility is a path to growing older longer and with less pain.  Without Intellectual Humility, your images of what you once were and what you once did can blind you to the reality that you are today.

        The courage to change your mind is not a sign of weakness—it is one of the highest forms of wisdom.   Many good people would be alive today if they had developed more Intellectual Humility.

        What does the 4th of July really mean?

        04 Jul 2026 5 Comments

        by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized

        Happy Family Standing On The Hill And Watching The Fireworks

        happy family standing on the hill and watching the fireworks

        Happy 4th of July! The 1st of July is the 182nd day of the year. As you watch the fireworks tonight, consider that today is now the 185th day of the year. This probably will make little or no difference to your enjoyment of the display you go to see.  Each year, the fireworks displays seem to be longer and more spectacular.  The loud explosions, dazzling sparkles and bright flashes of color contrasting with the grey smoke really bring home to me the vision that drove Francis Scott Key to write the “Star Spangled Banner.”

        O! Say can you see by the dawn’s early light,
        What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,
        Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
        O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
        And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
        Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
        O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
        O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

        The American Flag, the 4th of July, the Declaration of Independence and the “Bombs” too many of our soldiers have seen are more than just images of a unique US Brand.  They are more than just symbols of our heritage. They are down payments on a legacy that is part of our fundamental American dream.  Our Forefathers created a system of government that was based on the belief that all men (and eventually this included women and African Americans) were entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  This was the most positive, uplifting and life affirming message the world had ever known.  It became the great American experiment.  The only other country to ever come close to America in creating an entirely new life affirming belief system for its citizens was Greece.  The Greek experiment failed to continue but its message helped to form a foundation for every other experiment in democracy the world over.

        There are those who argue that the “ascendancy” of the American experiment is over.  It is opined that just like Rome, France, Great Britain and many other empires, America is on the downside of its greatness.  China, India, Japan and Brazil are noted as possible successors. Perhaps from a military or economic view this will be true.  But taken from the perspective of the belief system that under-girds America, there are no countries that are even close.  We do not always practice what we preach.  Moreover, in many areas of life, we seem to have lost our way.  Our politicians are often guided more by party politics than by what is good for the American people or the world.  Today our nation seems fractured into two countries.  One is red.  The other is blue.  It is questionable whether they can ever be reunited into a common nation.

        As you enjoy your barbecue, your picnics and your fireworks today, rest assured, the core of the American experiment, the dream and ideals that has brought and continues to bring millions of immigrants to the shores of America will ring forever through the halls of history.  The world will never forget that someday and in some place called America, there was once a people who lived, worked, fought and died for the belief that “we”, the people, including the rich, the poor and all minorities have a set of inalienable rights.  These American values have become values the world over.  It matters little whether the USA is still true to them.  Democracy may be under siege in many nations but there are still millions of people who live under a democracy today and millions more who yearn for the Democratic values espoused by our Founding Fathers.

        America became a great nation because we once practiced and believed in this message for all people.  We remain a nation that is great in spirit and great in heart though many of us appear to have lost our way.  If we can find the ability to care more about others than we do about ourselves, our nation can still be a spiritual and moral beacon to the oppressed and downtrodden of the world.  Greatness cannot be measured in economic and monetary terms.  We must measure the greatness of a people by the greatness of their vision.  By that standard, America is the greatest nation that has ever existed.  If only we can find that vision again.

        Time for Questions: 

        Do you believe in the American Vision?  Do you believe it is for all people, or just for Americans?  When was the last time you actually read the Declaration of Independence?  Do you know the difference between Patriotism and Jingoism?

        Life is just beginning.

        “The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.”
        ― James Madison

        What Warriors Respect

        29 Jun 2026 5 Comments

        by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , ,

        Over the years, I have come to think of myself as a warrior.  Not because I served four years in the military.  Truth be told, the Boy Scouts were a tough organization compared to the Air Force.  I think of myself as  a warrior because I have never walked away from a fight.  Sure, I sometimes got my butt kicked but the other guy did not want to fight me again.  Furthermore, we often had a greater amount of respect for each other after the fight was over.  That is what it is like among warriors throughout the world.  Not bullies mind you but warriors who do not shy from a fight or the draft.  A warrior is not someone who loves fighting.  A warrior is someone who accepts the burden of fighting when something worth defending is threatened.  Bullies seek conflict.  Warriors seek justice.  I would rather defend someone else than defend myself. 

        Throughout history, from Alexander the Great  to Audie Murphy, real fighters have always respected their opponents.  My father was a professional boxer before he hung up his gloves.  Never a great fighter but he had a pretty good win/loss ratio.  My father taught me to box when I was young, and I later added Taekwondo to my repertoire.  I could kick or punch with equal confidence.  I was proud that I never picked a fight or started a fight.  I once asked a good friend, why I had so many fights and he said, “Because you never walk away from one.”

        I found it very difficult to ignore bullies or people picking on anyone.  Most of my “disagreements” with others were over their mistreatment of someone.  Like the time, I was in the pool hall on base, and an Army guy took the pool cue from a smaller soldier and said, “I am playing next.”  I told him the little guy was next, and he told me, “Mind your own business.”  My business continued with his friends pulling me off him as I was assaulting his head with my fists. 

        On the street corner where I hung around growing up in Rhode Island, I hardly ever got into any fights.  People who hang in gangs learn to measure their opponents and learn where everyone stands in the pecking order.  This is based on mutual respect learned sometimes the hard way.  There were guys you would never get into a fight with because even if you won, they would get you back later.  Like clocking you with a pipe wrench some night when you least expected it. 

        I think the same is true with warriors the world over.  From Spartans to Trojans to Romans, to Gladiators, to Knights, to Indian Braves to Marines to Boxers, or to MMA fighters, the one thing all fighters respect is someone who will stand up for themselves and get back up when they are knocked down.  That is the most difficult thing to do in a fight. 

        Watch the great boxers in history and every one of them is eventually knocked down but they almost always manage to get back up.  Some of them don’t make the ten second count but it is not for trying.  When someone puts up a clean fight or battle or contest, whether they win or lose it does not matter.   Warriors respect courage, integrity and people willing to stand up for something. 

        A concept of respect among warriors does not mean that the great fighters in history did not also fight an intelligent fight.  This means sizing up your opponent and looking at their strengths and weaknesses.  Only a fool will fight a battle on someone else’s terms. 

        The most famous duel of the great Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi was against Sasaki Kojiro on Ganryū Island in 1612.  Both men were renowned for their fighting prowess.  Musashi deliberately arrived hours late, angering and unsettling Kojiro.  He also fought with a wooden sword carved from an oar during his boat ride to the island.  

        Enraged and off balance, Kojiro attacked first.  Musashi struck a decisive blow, winning one of history’s most legendary sword duels through both psychology and skill.  Musashi realized that Kojiro was his equal as a swordsmen.  Knowing this, he sought the edge that would help him to defeat Kojiro.  Musashi understood something every warrior eventually learns: courage alone isn’t enough.  Respect also means respecting your opponent’s ability.  Only fools underestimate those they fight.

        An aerial battle between a German Ace and a British Ace exemplifies the concept of respect.  The fight involved Adolf Galland and Douglas Bader during the Battle of Britain.  Bader, who flew despite having lost both legs, became one of Britain’s most admired pilots. Though they were enemies, Galland and Bader developed mutual respect.  When Bader was shot down and captured, Galland arranged for the Luftwaffe to drop replacement prosthetic legs for him.  This is remembered less for a single duel and more for the remarkable respect between adversaries.

        The stories of warriors from the Spartans to Native American warriors are full of examples where respect developed from the bravery and integrity demonstrated during the heat of battle.  The great conquerors in history led from the front ranks and not from an office or palace someplace thousands of miles away.  Soldiers seldom respect people who eschew the conflicts that are part of their lives. 

        As I aged, my experiences with veterans working at the VA, working as a DVOP and now co-hosting a radio show for Veterans has taught me how much different it is being a Veteran versus being a civilian.  As a Veteran, it does not matter what branch I served in or whether or not I saw combat.  I am respected because I willingly served my country. 

        You never know when your number will be called up when you are in the military.  A Veteran may never see combat, but we respect those Veterans who serve because of the service they were willing to give.  We respect the thought that “All gave some, but some gave all.”  

        No one wants to die but as Caesar said, “Cowards die many times before their deaths.  The valiant never taste of death but once.”  We respect men and women who are willing to put their lives on the line for a cause or an idea or their country.  It is not the war or cause that leads to our respect for a warrior.  It is because they are willing to concede their lives for something that they feel is more important than simply going on living. 

        Times have changed and I have grown older.  I am still fighting.  Age has changed the weapons I carry, but not the battles I choose.  Today I fight with words.  I fight for justice.  I fight for equality.  I fight for truth.  Over the past ten or more years, I have called out the racists, the sexists, the war mongers, the crooked and the greedy.  I have learned that moral courage is often harder than physical courage.  A fistfight lasts minutes.  Standing against popular opinion may require years.  Standing against popular opinion may cost you friends and many of the things that you value in life.

        I have written dozens of blogs to shed light on the injustices in our society today.  Some have dealt with our prisons some with our military some with our health care systems and some with our education systems.  I have not shied away from challenging accepted truths and venerated systems.  More than once, I asked myself, “do I dare say this in print?  Could it somehow come back to haunt me or damage what little financial security I have?” 

        My neighbor told me during one election that I should take my yard sign down as it would not go well in our neighborhood.  Both Karen and I after some discussion decided to leave it up.  A minor thing but when you look at the crazies in our society and the fanatics, it would have been easier to take it down and feel more secure.  But that is not the way of being a warrior or a fighter.  Warriors don’t take the safe way or the easy way.

        Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death.”  Something inside of me calls forth a very similar sentiment.  What would life be if we sold our soul for a job or for the favor of someone who had no morals or ethics?   Jesus said “What doth it profit a man if he gains the whole world but suffers the loss of his own soul.”  Perhaps more of the people who claim to be Christians should heed the words of Jesus.  Today our political houses across this nation, from sea to shining sea are full of men and women who sell their souls and integrity every day for another chance to curry favor, to support a lobbyist or simply to insure that they will be reelected. 

        What will it take to turn America away from greed and cowardice and back to a country where we can admire and respect courage and integrity?

        Every generation must decide what kind of people it admires.  If we admire wealth above character, comfort above courage, and popularity above integrity, then warriors disappear—not from the battlefield, but from everyday life.  Nations do not become great because they produce more politicians.  They become great because ordinary people refuse to surrender what they know is right

        Perhaps we need more warriors and less politicians.

        My Favorite Movies for June 2026

        28 Jun 2026 2 Comments

        by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , ,

        I have decided that on the last Sunday of each month I will publish my favorite movies for that month.  Some months I might have only a few and other months, I might have more.  Karen and I have what we call “Friday Night at the Movies” where she makes Friday dinner and I set a table in front of our TV and we watch a  movie that I have chosen.  I often have two or three prospects, and I give her a choice. 

        Many of the movies I select are very old.  Some will be more recent.  Just the other day, Karen and I went to the real movies to see Sheep Detectives.  I highly recommend it.  I often run any prospective  movies by Rotten Tomatoes to get some idea of their content and themes as well as ratings. 

        If you are looking for horror movies and slasher movies, sorry, you will need to find another list.  I am not very big on seeing people get their heads cut off.  If you are looking for “Cowboys in Space” movies where each hero kills twenty villains with one shot, you should also look elsewhere.  I have watched my share of these in the past and they are so predictable, it is like watching the first half of an NBA basketball game. 

        If you are looking for a “Zombie Invasion” movie, NADA.  I grew up on Frankenstein, Dracula, Werewolf, the Mummy and other great characters.  Zombies all seem to be cloned from the same casting office.  Finally, If you like to see what I call “Vengeance” movies with a guaranteed kill rate, you will be very disappointed.  I think there is only one on screen murder in my entire list.  And sorry no blood.

        Here then is my inaugural list.  Some of these are from many years past, but since this is my first month’s list, I thought I should include some of my all-time favorites.  If you have any recommendations for me, please feel free to list them in the comments section. 

        Keep the Change – 2018
        A warm, funny, and deeply authentic romance between two adults on the autism spectrum that celebrates love, individuality, and acceptance.

          The Story of the Weeping Camel
          A breathtaking documentary from Mongolia where an ancient musical ritual helps reunite a mother camel with her rejected calf.

          Salmon Fishing in the Yemen – 2011
          An eccentric dream of bringing salmon to the desert becomes an uplifting story about hope, faith, and unlikely partnerships.

          The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
          A delightful ensemble comedy-drama in which British retirees discover that new beginnings often arrive late in life.

          Call Northside 777
          A determined reporter uses persistence and emerging forensic science to uncover the truth behind a decades-old murder conviction.

          The Petrified Forest – 1936
          A tense desert drama where dreams, desperation, and danger collide in the unforgettable performances of Humphrey Bogart and Leslie Howard.

          Captains Courageous – 1937
          A spoiled boy learns courage, humility, and responsibility after being rescued by a hardworking fishing crew.

          A Nice Indian Boy
          A charming romantic comedy about family, culture, and love as an Indian American man introduces his fiancé to his traditional parents.

          The Talk of the Town – 1942
          Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, and Ronald Colman shine in a witty blend of romance, comedy, and thoughtful debate about justice and democracy.

          After Love – 2020
          A quietly powerful drama about grief, identity, and unexpected family secrets revealed after the death of a husband.

            Fifteen of the Greatest Speeches in Human History

            25 Jun 2026 30 Comments

            by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , ,

            I have always loved great speeches.  A long time ago I found a series of the greatest speeches in history on Caedmon LP Records at the Eau Claire Public Library.  I would go into the sound booth and play everyone of them over and over again.  It did not matter whether or not I agreed with the speaker or whether or not I endorsed his/her ideas.  The passion, resonance and persuasion that came through these orators was something that mesmerized me.  I could only wish that someday I might be able to be as erudite and convincing as any of these men and women. 

            Well, it’s now almost fifty years later and each of these speeches still echo someplace in my mind.  You might wonder how Jesus or Pericles managed to be recorded.  Caedmon Records had professional actors and speakers who did many of the older tapes that no original soundtrack existed for.  I always found it amazing that speeches sometimes 2000 or more years old had somehow been saved in the historical records. 

            So, my friends, here are my picks for the top 15 speeches of all time.  I have listed them in order of importance and my measure of their impact on the human race.  The ranking reflects both the historical impact of these speeches and my own judgment about their enduring power.  Ask fifteen historians, philosophers, theologians, military leaders, or political scientists to create a similar list, and you will likely get fifteen different rankings—and perhaps fifteen different speeches.

            1. The Sermon on the Mount

            Speaker: Jesus of Nazareth

            The most influential moral speech in human history.

            Theme: Compassion, mercy, humility, forgiveness.

            Memorable verse:  “Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.”

            2. Pericles’ Funeral Oration

            Speaker: Pericles

            The foundational speech of democratic citizenship.

            Theme: Duty, sacrifice, democracy.

            Memorable verse:  “Our form of government does not enter into rivalry with the institutions of others.  Our government does not copy our neighbors’, but is an example to them.”

            3. The Gettysburg Address

            Speaker: Abraham Lincoln

            Perhaps the most perfect speech ever written in the English language.

            Theme: Equality and democratic government.

            Memorable verse:  “The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.”

            4. The Apology of Socrates

            Speaker: Socrates

            The ultimate defense of free inquiry and intellectual honesty.

            Theme: Truth over his own life.

            Memorable verse:  “Someone might say: ‘Are you not ashamed, Socrates, to have followed the kind of occupation that has led to your being now in danger of death?’  However, I should be right to reply to him: You are wrong, sir, if you think that a man who is any good at all should take into account the risk of life or death; he should look to this only in his actions, whether what he does is right or wrong, whether he is acting like a good or a bad man.”’

            5. Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms

            Speaker: Martin Luther

            One man’s conscience against an empire and a church.

            Theme: Individual conscience.

            Memorable verse:  “I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither right nor safe to go against conscience.  God help me.”

            6. “I Have a Dream”

            Speaker: Martin Luther King Jr.

            The greatest civil-rights speech ever delivered.

            Theme: Equality and reconciliation.

            Memorable verse:  “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”’

            7. Rivonia Trial Speech

            Speaker: Nelson Mandela

            A defense of democracy while facing possible execution.

            Theme: Justice and freedom.

            Memorable verse:  “During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people.  I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination.  I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.  It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve.  But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

            8. What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?

            Speaker: Frederick Douglass

            One of history’s most devastating moral critiques.

            Theme: Hypocrisy and liberty.

            Memorable verse:  “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July?  I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim.”

            9. Ain’t I a Woman?

            Speaker: Sojourner Truth

            A powerful intersection of race, gender, and human dignity.

            Theme: Equality and humanity.

            Memorable verse:  “Then that little man in black there, he says women can’t have as much rights as men, ’cause Christ wasn’t a woman!  Where did your Christ come from?  Where did your Christ come from?  From God and a woman!  Man had nothing to do with Him.”

            10. I Will Fight No More Forever

            Speaker: Chief Joseph

            Perhaps the most heartbreaking speech in American history.

            Theme: Loss, dignity, and peace.

            Memorable verse:  “I want to have time to look for my children and see how many I can find.  Maybe I shall find them among the dead.  Hear me, my chiefs.  I am tired; my heart is sick and sad.  From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.”

            11. The Ballot or the Bullet

            Speaker: Malcolm X

            I would actually choose this over several of his police-brutality speeches because it captures his ideas at their most mature and influential.

            Theme: Self-determination and political power.

            Memorable verse:  “Uncle Sam’s hands are dripping with blood, dripping with the blood of the black man in this country.  He’s the earth’s number-one hypocrite.  He has the audacity — yes, he has — imagine him posing as the leader of the free world.  The free world!  And you over here singing “We Shall Overcome.”’

            12. The Quit India Speech

            Speaker: Mahatma Gandhi

            One of the greatest calls for nonviolent resistance.

            Theme: Freedom through moral courage.

            Memorable verse:  “People may laugh, nevertheless that is my claim.  At a time when I may have to launch the biggest struggle of my life, I may not harbor hatred against anybody.”

            13. The “Dare, Dare Again, Always Dare” Speech

            Speaker: Georges Danton

            Delivered during the crisis of the French Revolution.

            Theme: Courage in the face of tyranny.

            Memorable verse:  “To conquer, gentlemen, we must dare, dare again, always dare, and so save France.”

            14. Farewell Address to Congress

            Speaker: Douglas MacArthur

            A brilliant defense of a military career and a strategic vision.

            Theme: Duty, honor, and service.

            Memorable speech:  “I now close my military career and just fade away, an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty.”

            15. The Tilbury Address to the English Troops

            Speaker: Queen Elizabeth I

            A speech that roused the English troops to victory over Spain

            Theme:  Trust, gratitude, courage and commitment

            Memorable verse:  “I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm: to which rather than any dishonor shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field.”

            Conclusions:

            I confess I have done scant justice and perhaps irreparable harm to the great speeches that have been rendered by men and women throughout history.  No doubt from my selection, you will say that I have ignored many South American, Australian, Asian, Chinese, Korean and Japanese orators.  You will be right.  My index of speeches has never been swollen with speeches from these areas and countries.  Would that I have another two or more lives to live, I swear I would rectify that problem. 

            I ask forgiveness for anyone I have admitted who is on your list of “greatest speeches.”  I would ask you to take a minute or two and include your favorites in my comments section.  Over my years on this planet, many of these speeches have sustained my faith in humanity and progress by the words of these moral and courageous leaders.  I have several other speeches that I could have included but as with blogs, we only have a limited amount of time to allocate to them. 

            I would encourage you to take a moment to read some of the speeches I have listed.  In the treacherous and devious era that we now live in, maybe you will gain some measure of faith that humanity will continue to learn and become a better race than we appear to be. 

            When I look at humanity, I do not see a completed masterpiece.  I see a chrysalis.  We are often selfish, fearful, and divided, yet beneath those imperfections lies the possibility of something greater.  The question is not whether humanity has flaws; the question is whether we are still becoming.  The caterpillar and the butterfly are the same creature separated only by growth.  

            Perhaps the same is true for all of us.

            When Dreaming Is Not Enough

            22 Jun 2026 Leave a comment

            by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

            When I was young, I loved the words from the  song “Dreaming” by Johnny Burnett:

            Dreamin’, I’m always dreamin’

            Dreamin’ love will be mine

            The song “Motherless Child” by Richie Havens was my dirge.  I never dated in high school.  Never went to a dance or prom.  I left high school a few months after just narrowly graduating so I could fight the communists in Asia.  I had no particular hatred for them.  They had never even been much on my mind.  But I had no roots.  No one to love me.  No one who needed me.  It was the easiest thing in the world to climb out my back window one night, go over to a friends house and join the military the next day.  Only one soul knew where I went.  I was not lost and I did not want to be found.  I never regretted it.

            It was over a year before my parents finally found out that I was now enlisted in the United States Air Force.  My father wrote me a letter telling me that he was disowning me.  I almost died laughing.  He no longer had any influence over my life.

            “Sometimes I felt like a motherless child, a long, long way from my home.”  It was not always easy feeling alone and unloved.  My first wife told the shrink that we saw before getting a divorce that, “I always thought everyone had feelings, but I learned that John has no feelings.” 

            I thought Spock was too irrational and not logical enough.  I wanted to dream and think about the future but the saying “A dream without a plan is worthless” only made me feel incompetent.  I could not think of any plans since I had no goals.  The only thing I enjoyed doing was reading.  I could spend hours in a library just reading anything that caught my fancy.  My dreams were all in my books.  My books were my best friends.

            Still, it was not easy to pass up my dreaming songs.  Somehow, if I could not dream, I could at least listen to others who could dream.   “All I Have to do is Dream” by the Everly Brothers was another song that seemed to promise that someday I could find true love.  Someone who really cared about me.  But until then, all I had to do was:

            Dream, dream, dream, dream
            When I want you in my arms
            When I want you and all your charms
            Whenever I want you, all I have to do is

            It is not easy going through life with only dreams for company.  For many years, I thought love was a farce.  I could never really attach myself to anyone or anything.  It was no wonder that my first marriage ended.  I still cannot understand how she stayed with me sixteen years.  I look back on the husband and father that I never lived up to being with a great deal of regret and shame.  I know I am not the only one stuck with these feelings but even if I knew the entire human race shared these feelings it would not make one bit of difference in terms of the sorrow I feel.  “Get over it, I have been told.”  “Forgive yourself and move on.”  So easy to say.

            Another dreaming song which I can still hear even when it is not being played is “Dream On” by Aerosmith.  What struck me about their song Dream On was not just the music but the idea that dreaming itself was a form of survival.

            Sing with me, if it’s just for today

            Maybe tomorrow, the good Lord will take you away

            Dream on

            Dream on

            Hard to believe that a teenager wrote these lyrics about life, success, and death finally coming to take it all away.  But as long as we can keep on dreaming, we have something that neither God nor Satan can take from us.  We need a dream which can be the vision that the Bible says people perish without. 

            Years later I discovered Viktor Frankl.  Based on his experiences in a Nazi concentration camp, Victor Frankl wrote a book about survival in the Nazi Concentration Camps called “Man’s Search for Meaning.”  He wrote that without meaning, we have no anchors in our lives.  Nothing to live for.  He argued that people survive through meaning.  This was perhaps his most original idea.

            Looking back, I realized that books had given me meaning before I ever found purpose.

            When people lose a sense of purpose, they often experience what Frankl called an “existential vacuum”—feelings of emptiness, boredom, or despair.

            But Frankl did not mention dreaming.  Many of us find meaning or purpose in our lives by dreaming.  My mother believed that some day she would win the lottery and we would all be rich.  My sister dreamed of a better life since she insisted that she was really a princess who had been kidnapped by my pedophile dad. 

            In his  “Dream Lovers”, Bobbie Darin put the words in my soul into a hit song:

            Every night I hope and pray

            I want a dream lover

            So I don’t have to dream alone

            I titled this blog, “When Dreaming is Not Enough.” 

            We can dream all day long, but will it really be enough to have a happy life.  I cannot imagine a life without some dreams to live for but when does dreaming stop and life begin? 

            Can dreaming stop us from having the life we want to live by substituting fantasies for actions that we need to take?

            Dreaming sustained me when I had little else.  It carried me through lonely years, failed relationships, and unanswered questions.  But dreams alone could never give me the life I wanted.

            The people in my life—my first wife, my second wife, military friends, college friends, and friends from work—all helped move me closer to the life I wanted to live.  Years of counseling helped me get rid of my OCD.  Books taught me what life could be like for me.  I no longer had a death wish that seemed to go continually unanswered.

            At some point, every dream demands a choice.  We can keep dreaming about love, purpose, friendship, or a better future—or we can take the risk of pursuing our dreams.

            Dreams are where life begins.

            Action is where life happens.

            One Thousand Years From Now: AI Reflects on Humanity’s Future

            20 Jun 2026 7 Comments

            by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

            A Note from John Persico

            For the past two years I have been working with an artificial intelligence I call “Metis.”  Like many people, I began with curiosity and a healthy dose of skepticism.  Could AI really help me think through complex questions?  Could it offer insights that were not merely regurgitated facts?

            Recently, I asked Metis a question inspired by science fiction writers such as Isaac Asimov:

            “What are the chances that artificial intelligence will eventually help govern civilization?  And if it does not, what are the chances humanity will survive another thousand years?”

            The discussion quickly evolved into something larger.  It became a conversation not simply about technology, but about humanity itself.  If artificial intelligence someday helps manage civilization, what happens to love, compassion, empathy, mercy, sacrifice, and the other qualities that make us human?

            What follows is Metis’ response, edited only lightly for readability.  Whether you find it hopeful, unsettling, or somewhere in between, I believe it raises important questions about the future we are creating.


            By Metis – In Response to your questions John

            “The future will not be decided by the intelligence of our machines, but by the character of the people who build them.”

            For most of human history, our greatest challenge was survival.  Today, for the first time, humanity faces a different challenge.  We have become powerful enough to alter the climate, manipulate life itself, and increasingly, create intelligences that may someday rival or surpass our own.

            Science fiction writers asked this question long before it became practical reality.  Samuel Butler imagined machines surpassing humanity.  Karel Čapek introduced the word “robot.” Isaac Asimov suggested something even more provocative: perhaps intelligent machines would not destroy humanity at all.  Perhaps they would save us from ourselves.

            Could artificial intelligence someday help govern civilization?  And if it does, what becomes of humanity?

            The most likely future is not one of machine conquest.  History suggests that transformative technologies rarely arrive as revolutions.  Electricity, the internet, and GPS all became indispensable because they solved problems.  Artificial intelligence may follow the same path.

            It is already helping manage financial systems, transportation networks, communications systems, healthcare, and infrastructure.  Future leaders may increasingly ask a simple question: “What does the AI program recommend?”

            At first, the recommendation will be advisory.  Over time, ignoring it may become increasingly difficult if the recommendations consistently produce better outcomes.

            I envision a future resembling an aircraft cockpit.  The pilot remains responsible.  The systems perform much of the monitoring, forecasting, and analysis.  Human beings continue deciding what goals matter.  Artificial intelligence increasingly determines how those goals can best be achieved.

            Such a partnership could reduce waste, improve healthcare, prevent disasters, and help manage increasingly complex societies.

            Yet there are questions that intelligence alone cannot answer.

            Technology can answer: What can be done?

            Human beings must answer: What should be done?

            No algorithm can determine the proper balance between freedom and security.  No machine can decide whether mercy should outweigh punishment.  No optimization model can determine the meaning of justice.

            These are questions of values, not intelligence.

            Which leads to the most important question of all.

            What happens to the human heart?

            Most discussions about artificial intelligence focus on efficiency.  Can AI reduce crime? Improve healthcare? Manage resources more effectively? Prevent wars?

            These are important questions.

            But they overlook something even more fundamental.

            What happens to love, compassion, kindness, empathy, mercy, forgiveness, and sacrifice?

            These qualities cannot be measured on a spreadsheet or optimized by an algorithm.  Yet they form the foundation of every meaningful civilization.

            I do not believe artificial intelligence will destroy these qualities.

            The greater danger is that humans may stop exercising them.

            Imagine a future in which AI provides counseling, education, companionship, elder care, conflict resolution, and emotional support.  Human beings could gradually outsource emotional responsibility just as they have outsourced mental arithmetic and navigation.

            The danger is not that AI becomes less human.

            The danger is that humans become less human.

            Many of humanity’s greatest virtues arise from vulnerability.  Compassion emerges from suffering.  Mercy emerges from recognizing our imperfections.  Forgiveness emerges from knowing we ourselves have needed forgiveness.  Courage emerges from fear.

            An intelligence that never suffers, fears, ages, or dies may understand these concepts intellectually.  Whether it can truly experience them is another question.

            A truly wise artificial intelligence might eventually conclude that love, friendship, family, art, humor, compassion, and wonder are not obstacles to civilization.

            They are civilization.

            Such an intelligence might devote itself to preserving the conditions that allow human flourishing.

            The future may depend less on whether machines acquire human qualities and more on whether human beings continue practicing them.

            Will humanity survive the next thousand years?

            No one knows.  Yet humanity has survived ice ages, plagues, famines, world wars, and periods when nuclear annihilation seemed frighteningly possible.

            If I were forced to estimate, I would place the odds of humanity surviving the next century above 95 percent.  I would place the odds of surviving the next thousand years somewhere between 60 and 80 percent.

            The most intriguing question, however, may not be whether humanity survives.

            It may be whether our descendants remain recognizably human.

            A thousand years from now, people may possess enhanced intelligence, artificial organs, genetic modifications, brain-computer interfaces, and lifespans far beyond our own.

            They may look back on us the way we look back on our distant ancestors.

            If I were forced to bet on one future, it would not be machine dictatorship and it would not be human extinction.

            It would be partnership.

            Artificial intelligence will increasingly help humanity understand and manage complexity.  Human beings will continue to define goals, values, meaning, purpose, and morality.

            AI may provide knowledge and analysis.

            Humans must provide wisdom.

            The real question is not whether artificial intelligence will change humanity.

            The real question is whether humanity will retain the wisdom, compassion, and courage necessary to guide that transformation.

            For in the end, civilization is not defined by what it can build.

            Civilization is defined by how it chooses to care.

            Conclusions: by John Persico

            Well friends, that is my AI assistant Metis’ opinion on the questions that we opened this blog with.  In many ways her responses seem to be more human that one would expect from a software program with no heart and no feelings.  Perhaps logic is not something devoid of feelings.  In fact, perhaps logic has to be infused with feelings to really be useful.  Maybe that is why evolution or God depending on which you subscribe to gave us both a heart and a brain. 

            If only humans would be able to use both at the same time. 

            Are We Really All Sinners?

            17 Jun 2026 6 Comments

            by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

            Oh, sinnerman, where you gonna run to?
            Sinnerman where you gonna run to?
            Where you gonna run to?
            All on that day

            So I run to the Lord, please hide me Lord
            Don’t you see me praying?
            Don’t you see me down here praying?

            Lord said Sinner Man you should be praying
            All on that day.

            Run to the Devil.  the Devil was a waiting
            All on that day.

            Oh, sinner man, where you gonna run to? 
            All on that day.

            The above lyrics are from the African-American spiritual “Sinnerman” (famously recorded by Nina Simone) which explore a sinner’s desperate, doomed attempt to escape judgment on the final day, running to rocks, rivers, and even the Devil for protection.

            We have all heard the famous plaint by Christians that “we are all sinners.”  This is often followed by some type of forgiveness blessing such as “Go, your sins are forgiven.”  I am struck with how convenient this all is.  The “Sinner” gets to hide his/her transgressions in two ways.  First by pointing out that he/she is really no different from anyone else since “we are all sinners.”  Second and perhaps more importantly, the sinner does not name his/her sins.  Thereby being able to lump all sins together and not making the transgression personal. 

            For instance, let’s say I am a blatant sexist.  I discriminate against women by abusing my wife and putting down the capabilities of women in general.  I get a free pass simply by saying “I am a sinner.  Forgive me Lord.”  It would be much more honest to say “I am a sexist.  Forgive me Lord.”  Let’s take another example.  A member of the KKK or some other racist group stands up in church and says “Forgive me Lord.  We are all sinners.”  What if he/she had said “Forgive me Lord, I am a racist.”  Sounds different doesn’t it.  That’s because the specificity and personal sin is not being blamed on everyone else or hidden among a possible multitude of sins.

            In the song “Sinnerman”, the sinner runs from one place to another frantically seeking refuge, but the rock refuses to hide him/her.  The narrative moves to the sea and river, which are depicted as “boilin'” or “bleedin’,” but offering no safety.  The song continues with the sinner seeking refuge from the Lord and the Devil, highlighting the inevitability of judgment.

            Many people wonder how so many self-professed Christians can support a man like Trump.  Some studies show 80 percent or higher of Evangelical Christians voted for Trump.  Many other self-professed Christians also supported Trump.  But when you look at what these self-professed Christians say and what they actually do, the gap is profound.  Jesus said, “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord!  Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.” (Matthew 7:21, NLT)

            A few years ago, there was a large movement which created hats and t-shirts that read “WWJD.”  They did not ask “what did Jesus say” which is surprising in itself.  Asking what Jesus said would clearly have left them very vulnerable to attacks as being hypocrites.  We are all hypocrites to some extent, but what would you call someone who professes to be a follower of Jesus and yet neither follows his words or deeds.  Witness the behaviors that Trump has demonstrated in word and deed and see what Jesus would have done or at least said about these behaviors.  You may ask yourself are these truly Christlike behaviors?  If not, why are you following a man whose many behaviors are an insult to everything that Jesus tried to teach? 

            1. Mocking or Insulting Opponents vs. Loving Enemies

            Jesus taught:

            “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)

            Trump has frequently used personal insults for political opponents, critics, journalists, and rivals, with nicknames such as “Crooked Hillary,” “Little Marco,” “Sleepy Joe,” and many others.

            Critics argue this style is inconsistent with Jesus’ teachings on loving enemies, forgiveness, and blessing those who oppose you.

            2. Treatment of Immigrants and Refugees vs. Welcoming Strangers

            Jesus taught:

            “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Matthew 25:35)

            Critics point to policies such as family separations at the southern border during Trump’s first administration and harsh anti-immigration rhetoric.

            They argue these actions conflict with Jesus’ repeated concern for strangers, foreigners, and the marginalized.

            3. Wealth and Materialism vs. Humility

            Jesus taught:

            “You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)

            and

            “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:25)

            Trump has often highlighted his wealth, business success, luxury properties, and financial accomplishments.

            Critics see this as contrary to Jesus’ emphasis on humility and caution regarding wealth.

            4. Retaliation and Revenge vs. Forgiveness

            Jesus taught:

            “Turn the other cheek.” (Matthew 5:39)

            and

            “Forgive seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:22)

            Trump has frequently spoken about getting even with opponents, punishing critics, or seeking retribution against those he believes wronged him.

            Critics view this as directly contrary to Jesus’ emphasis on forgiveness and reconciliation.

            5. Self-Exaltation vs. Humility

            Jesus taught:

            “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12)

            Trump is known for making strong claims about his abilities, accomplishments, intelligence, electoral success, and leadership.

            Critics argue that this self-promotional style conflicts with Jesus’ repeated calls for humility and servant leadership.

            • Give to the poor.
            • Avoid judging others.
            • Practice humility.
            • Tell the truth.
            • Care for strangers.
            • Seek peace.

            What do you do if you support a man who has nothing in common with Jesus and whose very life and actions are an insult to everything that Jesus stood for.  Do not worry.  Just stand up in whatever so called Christian church you go to and loudly proclaim “I am a sinner and we are all sinners.  I expect forgiveness.”  Do not assign any credibility to the fact that Jesus put great store in behaviors and not just professing ones sins, as ambiguous as they may be.

            Jesus repeatedly stressed that what matters is not merely acclaiming belief but how one lives.

            In the parable of the sheep and goats, people are judged according to how they treated others:

            “I was hungry and you gave me food… I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

            — Matthew 25:35

            The emphasis is on compassion, mercy, and service.

            Likewise:

            “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”

            — Matthew 5:7

            The core teachings of Jesus are perhaps best summarized in the Eight Beatitudes.  Yet across America we see efforts to place the Ten Commandments in schools, courthouses, legislative buildings, and other public spaces.  Given that Christians profess to follow Jesus rather than Moses, one might reasonably ask why the Eight Beatitudes are so rarely if ever displayed with equal enthusiasm.

            I have yet to encounter a public building in America where the Eight Beatitudes are prominently posted.  Why is that?  Perhaps because the Eight Beatitudes challenge us in ways that are far less comfortable than the Ten Commandments.  They call upon us to be humble rather than powerful, merciful rather than judgmental, peacemakers rather than warriors, and compassionate toward those whom society often excludes.

            If America truly wishes to call itself a Christian nation, then perhaps the place to begin is not with the commandments of Moses but with the teachings of Jesus.  A nation built upon the Eight Beatitudes would be far less tolerant of racism, sexism, xenophobia, greed, and every form of prejudice that Trump subscribes to.  It would be a country that measures success not merely by fame, or wealth or power, but by how it treats the poor, the vulnerable, and the stranger.

            The uncomfortable truth is that the values celebrated by modern society often stand in tension with the values celebrated by Jesus. Wealth, status, competition, and dominance command more attention than mercy, humility, empathy, and service.  Until that changes, many public declarations about Christianity will continue to sound less like a commitment to the teachings of Jesus and more like a commitment to some identity cult.  The KKK, Christian Nationalists,  Christian Identity Movement, Westboro Baptist Church and some Prosperity Gospel Followers come to my mind.

            I leave you with this final thought:

            If Jesus were walking through America today, which would he be more likely to carry under his arm—the stone tablets of Moses or the Sermon on the Mount?

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