Seeing Patterns, Making Sense
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?” — Psalm 13:1–2
Yesterday brought a series of terrible and heartbreaking events. A man attacked a synagogue in Michigan. Another man—reported to be a supporter of ISIS—shot three people at a university in Virginia. Five service members lost their lives when their refueling plane crashed during the expanding conflict in the Middle East.
When violence appears in so many places at once, it can leave us feeling disoriented. Each event seems separate. Each headline arrives with its own explanation. But if we step back for a moment, we may begin to see a deeper architecture beneath the chaos. A pattern emerges. Understanding that pattern can help us respond with greater clarity and wisdom.
1. The Security Paradox
Every place touched by violence becomes more heavily secured through the very logic that produces the threat. Synagogues need armed guards. Universities need active shooter protocols. Oil tankers need naval protection. The solution is the problem reproducing itself. Security through domination generates the conditions that require more security. It’s not a bug; it’s a feature of the system.
2. Religious Violence as Political Theology
The synagogue attack (targeted at Jews), the ISIS-affiliated shooter (shouting “Allahu Akbar”), the war with Iran (framed partly through apocalyptic religious language in some circles) are the product of a specific theological inheritance: monotheistic absolutism merged with nation-state sovereignty. One God, one Truth, one State, one Security. The Trinity of modern violence. When that absolutism fractures, it doesn’t disappear. It metastasizes into competing absolutisms.
3. The Production of “Terror”
Notice what gets labeled terrorism and what doesn’t. The ISIS-affiliated shooter? Terrorism. A US drone strike on an Iranian elementary school based on “outdated intel”? That’s... what? Collateral damage? Military operation? The category itself is a technology of power. It determines which deaths count as criminal and which count as governance.
4. Extractive Geopolitics Masquerading as Security
The Strait of Hormuz. Oil tankers. Seventeen days of war. This isn’t primarily about “freedom” or “democracy” or even “Israel’s security.” It’s about wealth flow—who controls the energy that powers industrial civilization. But that material reality gets translated into moral language (evil regimes, freedom-loving people) to make it palatable. The extraction must be rendered invisible for the system to function.
5. The Militarization of Civilian Life
ROTC students as heroes subduing a shooter. Synagogues with armed security teams. Schools with lockdown drills. This is the normalization of war conditions in civilian space. We’re not preparing for violence; we’re living inside it. The exception has become the rule.
6. Ontological Separability
Underneath all of it: the belief that “we” can be safe if “they” are contained. We buy the lie that safety comes through boundaries, not relationships. That some lives are grievable and others are...expendable? The system requires this separation to function. But it’s a lie. The synagogue, the university, the oil tanker, the Iranian school—they’re all held by the same ground. The same system.
Seeing this architecture does not make violence disappear. But it can help us resist despair. If violence has patterns, then so does compassion. If systems produce harm, communities can also produce care.
Faith traditions remind us that another way of being human remains possible, one grounded not in domination or fear, but in dignity, humility, and shared responsibility.
In moments like this, we begin not by fixing the whole system. We begin by remembering who we are.
…People who refuse to normalize cruelty.
…People who mourn every life lost.
…People who believe that peace must be built not through domination, but through justice and relationship.
The world may feel chaotic. Clarity is the first step toward courage. And courage is the one thing we must never lose.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
Which of these patterns do you most clearly recognize in the world around you?
How does seeing the larger architecture of violence change the way you respond emotionally or spiritually?
Where do you see communities resisting these patterns and cultivating alternatives?
What practices help you remain compassionate in the face of repeated violence?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer for a Wounded World
God of mercy, Our hearts ache today. We mourn lives lost, communities shaken, and a world that feels trapped in cycles of violence. Hold the grieving. Comfort the frightened. Strengthen those who work quietly for peace. Give us wisdom to see clearly, courage to resist despair, and compassion that refuses to draw narrow lines between “us” and “them.” Teach us to become people who build the peace our world longs for. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Beginning the Day With Clear Eyes
Before you check the news this morning, take three slow breaths. Place your feet on the floor and notice the quiet around you. Feel the steadiness of the ground beneath you.
Then ask yourself three questions:
What kind of person do I want to be in a world like this?
What kind of neighbor do I want to be today?
What kind of community do we need to become together?
Let your answers guide the day ahead.
You do not need to solve the world’s violence today. None of us can. But you can refuse to let cruelty shape your own heart. You can practice kindness in a harsh moment. You can choose honesty when fear spreads confusion. You can remember that every person you encounter today carries a story you cannot see.
Peace does not begin in treaties or institutions.
It begins in the quiet decisions people make each day about how they will live together.
Today, begin there.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
My team and I launched a new experiment we are calling “The Commons.” It’s an online space centered around communities of practice: groups of people who share a common concern, set of problems, or passion for a topic, and deepen their knowledge and expertise by interacting on an ongoing basis. Join the community here.
March 17, 23, 31 and April 7, 2026, 7-8:30pm ET - Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox and I will be hosting another 4-part series on “Visions for the Common Good.” This series will include sessions with David Abram (cultural ecologist), Lynne Twist (global activist), Randy Woodley (Cherokee scholar and wisdom-keeper), and yours truly! All sessions are recorded, and you will get the link if you can’t make it. Learn more here.
March 26, 2026, 7–8:30pm ET – FREE WEBINAR - I’ll be joined by Ruth Dearnley, OBE, Founder and President of Stop the Traffik (London), for “Stop the Exploitation of Children: Disrupting Human Trafficking at Its Source.” As Board Chair of Stop the Traffik USA, this work is deeply personal to me. We cannot rescue our way out of trafficking; we must prevent exploitation by disrupting the systems and financial flows that profit from vulnerability—and congregations can play a powerful role in building community resilience. Ruth will share how technology and data are exposing trafficking networks globally, and how congregations can lead local awareness and prevention campaigns that reduce vulnerability and protect children. I hope you’ll join us. Learn more and register here.
March 28, 2026 - No Kings Protest! We are marching again. Mark your calendars and find the nearest protest site. Make your protest signs. Knit your red hats. Get your water bottles and sunscreen ready. We head back into the streets for peaceful protest on behalf of a more just world. I'll see you out there. Register here.
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.
Fun Things My Friends Are Up To…
I get to work with such amazing, creative people. This section is my way of celebrating them—no paid promotions, just joy in what they’re creating.
I wanted to share something from a colleague whose work I deeply respect. Jackie Sussman of InnerVision has spent decades working with people through a practice called Eidetic Imagery. On Sunday, March 15th (9am PST / 12pm EST · Online · $25), she’s offering a special Introduction to Eidetics session focused entirely on relationships. This isn’t talk therapy or communication strategy. It’s a direct experience of the images your mind holds about love, safety, belonging, and power, the ones that quietly shape every relationship you’re in, often without your awareness. I use eidetics in my coaching practice, and I can attest to it’s power as a methodology for self-discovery. If you want to learn more, register here.
I have just discovered the coolest group! The All We Can Save Project grew out of the powerful climate anthology All We Can Save and has become a growing network of people committed to climate courage and community leadership. Their work reminds us that responding to the climate crisis isn’t only about policy or technology; it’s also about cultivating the relationships, imagination, and moral courage needed to protect and restore the living world. Check them out here: https://www.allwecansave.earth/
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.
Beautiful, wonderful, exactly what we needed to hear today. Thank you.
Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.