When Power Loses Its Mind

A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble

“When the mind is confused, the world is confused. When the mind is clear, the world is clear.” — Dhammapada (Buddhist tradition)

---

Photo by Jr Korpa on Unsplash

A sitting president of the United States just wrote a letter threatening the sovereignty of another nation because he did not receive a prize. At first I thought it was a joke. But then I realized with a sinking feeling, this really happened.

The US President wrote to the Prime Minister of Norway:

Dear Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America.

Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a ‘right of ownership’ anyway? There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also.

I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you! President DJT

The letter is absurd. International journalist Anne Applebaum called it “the last straw.” She noted what is obvious to anyone still grounded in reality: the Nobel Committee is not the Norwegian government; Norway is not Denmark; Greenland has centuries of documented sovereignty; eight wars were not ended; NATO does not exist to serve one man’s wounded pride.

But the most revealing part is not the insanity of the letter itself. It is what happened next.

• Congress did not intervene.

• Party leaders did not object.

• Allies issued careful statements.

• Institutions hesitated.

The system absorbed it. And now we go on, just a normal Wednesday.

This is how democracies erode: through normalization, when an entire political order learns how to carry the recklessness without flinching.

The danger here is not Greenland. It is unreality.

In every wisdom tradition, there is a warning about leaders who lose contact with truth. In the Hebrew scriptures, the prophets describe kings who “see, but do not perceive,” who “hear, but do not understand,” who confuse desire with destiny and ego with divine mandate. The danger is never only moral failure. The danger is distortion — when a ruler begins to inhabit a private world that no longer answers to history, law, or human consequence.

Every tradition recognizes this pattern: when humiliation replaces humility, power begins to drift. When grievance governs, law becomes optional. When leaders narrate themselves as victims, neighbors become targets.

Trump’s letter does not speak the language of diplomacy. It speaks the language of entitlement. It frames peace as a favor that can be withdrawn. It treats land as a prize for wounded pride. It imagines sovereignty as something that belongs to whoever feels strongest.

As we remember by now, empires rise and fall. Delusions come and go. But the work of justice, restraint, and repair remains.

So today we do not respond with panic. We respond, once again, with clarity. We remember that peace is not a prize. Land is not a reward. Power is not permission. No wounded ego is entitled to redraw the world.

And we commit ourselves again — steadily, without drama — to the long, necessary work of protecting each other, preserving restraint, and refusing the mythology that domination saves anything at all.

Today is a great day to call your representative. It’s also a great day to boycott the companies that continue to support this administration. Remember: what we feed grows. Let’s be mindful of what we feed.

We are in this together,

Cameron

---

Reflection Questions

---

1. When you feel disbelief, grief, or anger at the state of our public life, what helps me stay grounded in truth rather than swept into despair or cynicism?

2. What practices help me remain anchored in reality — in facts, in conscience, in compassion — when power begins to drift from truth?

3. What does responsibility look like for me in a time when institutions hesitate and moral clarity must come from citizens?

---

A Prayer for the Day

---

A Blessing for Clarity in a Time of Distortion

God of truth and mercy,
we come to you carrying confusion, sorrow, 
and a quiet fear about the world we are living in.

We ask first for steadiness.
When public life becomes distorted,
when power drifts from conscience,
when the future feels less certain than it once did,
help us remain anchored in what is real and what is good.

Guard our hearts from becoming cynical.
Protect us from the temptation to laugh away what should trouble us,
or to grow numb where we are called to care.

Give wisdom to those who hold authority,
and courage to those who must speak when authority fails.
Strengthen the people whose task it is to protect law, preserve peace, and restrain harm,
especially when doing so carries personal cost.

For ourselves, grant clarity.
Teach us to recognize truth even when it is inconvenient.
Help us choose restraint when anger would be easier.
Help us practice dignity when fear invites us to abandon it.

Keep us faithful to the slow work of justice.
Keep us attentive to one another.
Keep us human.

And in these unsettled days,
remind us again that no power is final,
no delusion is permanent,
and no act of courage is wasted.

Hold the world in your mercy.
Hold us in your care.
And guide us, still, toward peace.

Amen.

---

Spiritual Practice

---

Practice: Staying Anchored in Reality

This week, practice choosing clarity. Once each day, pause for five minutes with one simple intention: to notice what is real. Read one reliable piece of reporting slowly. Pay attention to what you feel in your body as you take in difficult truth or absorb a deep joy. Name the emotion without judgment: grief, happiness, anger, excitement, disbelief, fear.

Then ask yourself three questions:

• What here is fact?

• What here is interpretation?

• What here is being normalized that should not be?

Close by placing your hand on your heart and say quietly:

“I choose to remain in reality. I choose to remain human.”

This practice is not about fixing the world. It is about refusing distortion — which is where repair always begins.

---

---

Important Notice: I’ve been made aware that unauthorized copies of one of my books, The Beginner’s Bible Study, are currently being advertised and sold through Facebook and other online ads, often by overseas sellers. These versions are not produced or approved by me, contain numerous typos and inaccuracies, and sometimes require a one-time or recurring subscription fee. Please do not click on or purchase from these ads. The only authentic versions of my work are those sold directly through my official website and trusted publishing partners.

---

Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…

---

February 5, 2026 - Margaret Wheatley and and I are launching a new online course called “Leading with Spirit,” a six-session journey into soul-grounded leadership designed to deepen your trust in guidance, nurture perseverance, and rekindle imaginal wisdom for our fractured world. Take a look at the course outline. We are really excited and hope you can join! Scholarship are available if needed. Learn more here!

February 11th and 25, 2026 - Join Our “Building a Culture of Leadership Within Congregations” Cohort facilitated by Rabbi Benjamin Ross and me! A two-session course for ministers and faith leaders ready to strengthen how their congregations and ministries identify, develop, and support leaders. Learn more here.

July 19-24, 2026 - Join me on retreat in the back-country of beautiful Wyoming. The Art of Wilding is a 5-Day Expedition for Women Leaders. We will spend the week reconnecting to nature, exploring our inner landscapes for change, and engage the wisdom of spiritual teachings. Click here to learn more.

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.

The cool folks over at Spiritual Wanderlust are launching a new program called “Night School.” It’s a twelve-month journey through the Dark, offering the rituals, practices, and companionship humans have long relied on in times of deep transformation. You will be accompanied by elders and teachers who have walked this terrain deeply, including James Finley, Barbara Brown Taylor, and Ronald Rolheiser. I think this looks amazing.

Randy Woodley is offering a 15-part series on his Substack which is teaching me so much about how democracy does and doesn’t work for people. Randy is a Cherokee descendant recognized by the Keetoowah Band, a recovering academic, and a storyteller. You should check out his work.

If you are part of a congregation, you should check out the great resources at Church Anew. They produce ready-made resources and formation materials. Amazing stuff.

---

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