Surely We Can Do Better
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“When one person rules over another, it causes suffering.” — Ecclesiastes 8:9
As I write this, the world is waiting.
We are waiting to hear more about the proposed agreement between the United States and Iran. The White House says there has been a breakthrough, but Iranian officials say some important questions are still unresolved. Since the agreement has not been released to the public, many people are left wondering what was actually negotiated and what it will mean.1
Meanwhile, Ukraine faces another summer of war. Far from there, families still live with daily missile strikes, military call-ups, and the uncertainty of not knowing if the conflict will end soon or last for years.
Two very different conflicts. Two very different regions. Yet they leave us with the same question: Why do so many lives remain vulnerable to the decisions of so few people?
A small group of leaders sits at negotiating tables. Presidents, prime ministers, generals, intelligence officials, and diplomats make decisions that affect millions of people they will never meet. Our global markets react. Oil prices change. Families worry if their children will be called to serve. Whole populations wait for news they cannot influence.
We like to think that history is moving toward more freedom and participation. But many of our most important systems still keep power in the hands of a few. The people most affected by decisions are often the least involved in making them.
Dorothee Sölle, the German theologian and peace activist, once wrote, “The more powerless people become, the more they are tempted to admire power.” Perhaps one of the reasons we keep concentrating power in the hands of a few people is that so many of us feel powerless ourselves. We long for someone to take control. Someone to solve the problem. Someone to restore order. Someone to make the uncertainty go away.
But the spiritual traditions repeatedly warn us that this longing contains a danger. The more we invest our hopes in powerful individuals, the less we cultivate our own responsibility for the world we share.
That reality brought to mind an old story from Genesis. God tells Abraham that Sodom and Gomorrah will be destroyed. Abraham responds in a way that still surprises (inspires?) me. He argues. He negotiates. He pushes back.
“What if there are fifty righteous people in the city?”
Then forty-five.
Then forty.
Then thirty.
Then twenty.
Then ten.
Abraham refuses to accept the idea that the many should suffer because of the failures of the few. People usually see this story as a lesson about mercy from God. But I wonder if it also teaches us something about power.
Abraham stands up for the idea that every life matters. He says that punishing everyone for the actions of a few is not justice. He believes that power should answer to something greater than itself.
Throughout history, most societies have been built on the idea that a few people should hold most of the power. Pharaoh ruled Egypt. Caesar ruled Rome. Kings ruled nations. Today, the titles have changed, but the pattern is often the same. Political, economic, military, and technological power still end up in the hands of a few. Then we are surprised when the results are hard to control.
The biblical tradition repeatedly pushes in another direction.
…Moses shares leadership with elders.
…The prophets challenge kings.
…Jesus gathers a community rather than building a throne.
…The early church distributes resources so that no one is left behind.
Again and again, spiritual life encourages us to share power instead of keeping it for a few. This is not because people are always wise but because no one person can see everything clearly. No leader has enough perspective. No ruler is wise enough to decide the fate of millions alone.
Pharaoh’s greatest achievement was convincing people that only Pharaoh could save Egypt. Every empire tells a version of that story. Every democracy must learn to resist it.
Maybe that is why this moment feels so unsettling. The question before us is larger than Iran. It is larger than Ukraine. It’s larger than Gaza and Lebanon and Venezuela and Cuba. It is larger than any single war or treaty.
What kind of world are we trying to build? One where a handful of people make decisions for everyone else? Or one where responsibility, dignity, and power are shared more broadly?
I do not pretend that such a world would be simple. I do believe it would be more just.
Surely, after so many centuries of war, empire, conquest, and domination, we can find a better way.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
Where do you see concentrated power shaping the lives of people who have little voice in the decisions being made?
When have you experienced the consequences of decisions made far from your own life and community?
What would it look like to share power more broadly in your family, workplace, congregation, or community?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer For a More Human World
God of every nation and every people, We grow weary of systems that place so much power in so few hands. We grow weary of wars chosen by some and endured by others. We grow weary of waiting for leaders to discover wisdom while ordinary people carry the cost. Teach us another way. Give us the courage to share responsibility, the humility to listen to one another, and the imagination to build communities where power serves life rather than controlling it. May we never stop believing that a more human world is possible. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Expanding the Circle
Today, pay attention to who gets included in decisions and who gets excluded.
Notice it in a meeting.
Notice it in your family.
Notice it in your congregation.
Notice it in the news.
Ask yourself: Who will be affected by this decision that is not in the room?
Then look for one opportunity to widen the circle. Invite someone’s perspective. Listen to a voice that is often overlooked. Ask a question rather than offering an answer. Share influence rather than holding it.
The spiritual traditions remind us that wisdom rarely resides in a single person. It emerges through relationships, conversation, and shared discernment.
Today, practice making the circle a little larger.
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.
June 18, 24, 2026, 12:30pm ET - I will be joining Jackie Sussman on The Commons for a three-part series on practicing eidetics as a part of our “Reclaiming the Power of Imagination” series. Jackie, a psychotherapist, author, and leading expert in Eidetic Image Psychology, has spent over forty years helping leaders and individuals unlock creativity, uncover hidden strengths, and move through limiting patterns. During these sessions, she will lead a live Eidetic process shaped by mythic imagery, offering a direct experience of the work. REGISTER HERE.
June 23, 2026, 12:30-1:30pmET - Book Club in The Commons - FREE - We are reading our next book, The Glorians by Terry Tempest Williams. We will meet each Tuesday for 6 weeks. It’s such great fun. I hope you will be a part. All are welcome! RSVP HERE.
September 8, 2026, 7-9pm ET, ONLINE EVENT - I’ll be hosting a powerful online gathering on The Black Madonna: Sacred Wisdom for a World in Crisis with Matthew Fox, Alessandra Belloni, and Christena Cleveland. We will explore the Black Madonna as a symbol of resilience, liberation, sacred feminine wisdom, and healing in a fractured world through conversation, story, music, and spiritual reflection. If you feel drawn toward a deeper encounter with the Divine Feminine and the ancient traditions that continue to nourish movements for justice and wholeness, I hope you’ll join us. Learn more and REGISTER HERE.
October 18-21, 2026 - PREACH! 2026 Conference- I’ll be co-hosting PREACH in Minneapolis with Church Anew, a new gathering for preachers, storytellers, worship leaders, and spiritual communicators navigating what it means to speak with clarity, compassion, and courage in a changing world. If you’ve sensed that the preaching moment has changed and are longing for thoughtful community and renewed imagination for this work, I hope you’ll join us.
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.
June 18, 2026 - ONLINE TEACHING from 6-8pm ET - My dear friend and Buddhist teacher, Isa Gucciardi, is leading a teaching on Depth Hypnosis: Where Shamanism and Buddhism Converge where she will explore how Depth Hypnosis moves beyond the limitations of the conscious mind, guiding individuals into expanded states of awareness where deep healing and insight arise. You can read more here.
June 20, 2026 – ONLINE EVENT – Margaret Wheatley and Mary Daniels will lead a special three-hour online gathering titled Fierce Compassion: The Power of the Sacred Feminine. In a time marked by fragmentation, fear, and exhaustion, this program explores compassion not as passive kindness, but as a courageous force that protects life, tells the truth, and remains deeply rooted in love. Drawing from spiritual traditions, contemplative practice, and the imagery of fierce feminine wisdom figures such as Kali and Durga, they will reflect on what it means to stay human and spiritually grounded in difficult times. LEARN MORE + REGISTER.
June 22, 2026, 12pm ET - ONLINE WRITING GROUP - My dear friend, Meryl Marshall-Daniels, is leading a writing group open to all. This is a simple and spacious writing circle for people who want time to listen inwardly and put words on the page without overthinking, performing, or polishing. Meryl offers a prompt designed to invite reflection, imagination, and attunement to what is already alive within you. The practice honors writing as a way of listening, of letting images, memories, questions, and insights surface in their own time. Learn more here.
JULY 12, 2026, 8AM–8PM ET in NYC - My friend Monika Son is helping lead a powerful Buddhist-led, interfaith pilgrimage across New York City titled “Day of Remembering Our Interdependence.” Inspired by the Buddhist monks’ 2,300-mile Walk for Peace and grounded in the wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh, participants will gather for walking meditation, prayer, chanting, ceremony, and collective reflection across all five boroughs, including stops at the African Burial Ground and the Metropolitan Detention Center where ICE detainees are being held. The day will culminate in a joyful community gathering in Queens with music, poetry, movement, and food. Participants are welcome to join for the full pilgrimage or any portion of the day. LEARN MORE HERE.
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.
https://apnews.com/article/iran-trump-agreement-talking-points-4166975ec5cf58ef4acaa370171f623f
reading this today is like having a warm balm pouring slowly over my battered heart.💕
I’m just with you in this. 100%
I forget the rest. 🙏💗