Beyond the Performance

A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble

“The measure of a man is what he does with power.” – Plato

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Photo by Spenser H on Unsplash

Yesterday, Donald Trump announced he is taking control of Washington, D.C.’s police department and deploying 800 members of the National Guard, framing it as an effort to reduce crime and address homelessness. This, despite the fact that crime rates have been falling in recent years. The city’s mayor called the move “unsettling,” and it is not hard to see why.

This is not simply about public safety—it is about the performance of dominance. We have seen it before: a dramatic intervention meant to project strength, paired with exaggerated claims designed to keep people fearful and dependent on that “strength.” Whether or not this is an attempt to distract from other scandals, it is part of a broader pattern—create a crisis, then step in as the self-proclaimed savior.

The sages of every tradition warn us about this kind of power. The Hebrew prophets called out rulers who “trample the poor” while claiming divine mandate. Jesus warned of leaders who “lord it over others” rather than serve. The Buddha named “craving” as the root of suffering—craving control, craving recognition, craving safety at the expense of others. When fear and insecurity are left unacknowledged, they metastasize into policies that punish the vulnerable and concentrate power in the hands of the few.

As Archbishop Oscar Romero said, “When the church hears the cry of the oppressed it cannot but denounce the social structures that give rise to and perpetuate the misery from which the cry arises.” The performance of dominance depends on the rest of us staying silent—accepting the spectacle as inevitable, adjusting our lives to fit around it. But systems like this do not fade on their own; left unopposed, they tighten their grip.

Our call is not simply to see clearly what is happening or to name the fear beneath the cruelty—though that matters. We are also called to disrupt it, to throw sand in the gears of injustice. Sometimes that means showing up in the streets or in courtrooms. Sometimes it means protecting neighbors from harassment. Sometimes it means refusing to amplify false narratives or quietly withdrawing our cooperation from systems that harm. It always means refusing to look away.

Power rooted in love does not need an enemy to justify its existence. It builds trust not through force, but through presence, compassion, and courage. It requires us—not as an abstract ideal, but as a daily practice—to stand where harm is being done and say, “Not here. Not now. Not to them.”

The performance of dominance will end when we refuse to be its audience. The work of building something better will begin when we choose—again and again—to lead with care instead of control.

We are in this together,

Cameron

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Reflection Questions

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• Where do you see the “performance of dominance” playing out in your community, workplace, or government right now?

• What fears—yours or others’—do you think are being manipulated in these displays of power?

• What’s one concrete action you can take this week to disrupt harm or protect someone who is vulnerable?

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A Prayer for the Day

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A Prayer for Steady Hearts

Holy One,

When the strong perform their power,
give us the strength to stand in quiet defiance.
When fear is wielded like a weapon,
steady our hearts and sharpen our vision.

Let our hands be gentle with the wounded,
and unyielding against injustice.
Let our words carry truth,
even when truth shakes the ground beneath us.

Root us in the love that will not abandon,
the courage that will not retreat,
and the hope that will not be extinguished.

Amen.

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Spiritual Practice

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This week, practice micro-resistance.

Notice one small place in your daily life where harm, cruelty, or misinformation is at work—whether in a conversation, a policy, or a media post. Your task is not to fix it all at once, but to interrupt it. Ask a clarifying question. Offer a counter-story. Withdraw your participation. Protect someone’s dignity.

At the end of the day, take a few moments to reflect:

• What did I notice?

• Where did I act?

• How did it feel to resist, even in a small way?

Over time, these small acts—multiplied across communities—become the sand in the gears that slows the machinery of harm.

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Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…

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September 4, 5:30pm ET - I will be collaborating with the Anderson Forum for Progressive Theology to host a conversation with Thomas Jay Oord on Open and Relational theology. It’s a FREE event. Register here.

October 15-18, 2025 - Converging 2025: Sing Truth Conference (all musicians invited!) at Northwest Christian Church in Columbus, OH. Register here!

October 23, 30, November 6, 13, 2025, 7pm ET - In Search of a New Story: Reimagining What Comes Next, A 4-Part Online Series with Matthew Fox, Cameron Trimble, and Special Guests. We are living through the unraveling of many old stories—about who we are, why we’re here, and how we are meant to live together on this Earth. As these inherited narratives collapse under the weight of climate crisis, social fragmentation, and spiritual disconnection, the question becomes clear: What story will guide us now? REGISTRATION OPENING SOON!

I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.

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If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.