Final week we have been thunderstruck to look at your entire East Wing of the White Home decreased to rubble, with no permissions requested and no warnings given. In actual fact, the US president had promised the nation that the present construction wouldn’t be touched—“it gained’t intervene” and can “be close to however not touching it,” he proclaimed. His huge, lovely ballroom mission would pay “complete respect to the present constructing which I’m the most important fan of.”
A lot for presidential guarantees. Or reminiscence. Or each.
An archeologist who spent years documenting the restoration of historical artifacts looted and destroyed by ISIS in Iraq and Syria, contrasted Trump’s “authoritarian” destruction of the White Home to the cultural vandalism ISIS dedicated “to destroy the previous to color one facet of a narrative.”*
Equally disturbing was the price of the mission, which jumped in a single day from $200 to $300 million. The promise that most of the president’s company buddies would pay for it, is just not a transparent plus—what’s the value to American democracy? What quid professional quo from these billionaire benefactors lurks behind the scenes? Will we ever know?
In the meantime, an unprecedented shutdown of Congress continues unabated—even whereas the federal government itself is shut down and never paying its payments. Each different time there was a authorities shutdown, Congress convened to attempt to work by means of it. Not this time. A White Home and congress actually in shambles.
Thom Hartmann calls the congressional shutdown “the coup that lastly labored,” and argues speaker Mike Johnson “succeeded the place the revolt failed.”**
The coup of January 6 didn’t attain its goal, however now we now have a Congress that, by erasing well being care and meals stamps, can kill thousands and thousands of People. To its credit score, the Democratic celebration is standing tall in resisting this murderous consequence of the so-called “huge, lovely funds invoice.”
In the meantime, one thing profound and historic occurred this week, when King Charles III, head of the Anglican church, visited the Vatican to hope with Pope Leo XIV, marking a non secular reconciliation after 500 years of separation.
This occasion alerts a optimistic signal of our instances—the approaching collectively of world religions. It’s time that religions, beneath the joint stresses of worldwide warming and potential nuclear conflict, get their primary acts collectively round shared fundamentals of perception: Peace, Justice, Compassion, and Forgiveness comparable to Jesus taught, and different religious traditions train. Whereas respecting their historic, cultural and religious variety.
A brand new guide, Interspirituality: The Heritage is being revealed at this time that commemorates this similar motion of Deep Ecumenism or Interfaith, edited by Kurt Johnson. I used to be privileged to put in writing a Foreword for it and to share the duvet with an endorsement from the Dalai Lama.
The way forward for humanity—if humanity has a future—is to apply extra merely and certainly the teachings of its impressed religious and non secular founders. To name forth from deep inside people our higher angels—our capability for ardour and compassion, equity and justice, and celebration of life—biophilia subsequently, that trumps necrophilia in all its expressions together with conflict, hatred, cruelty and promoting democracy to the very best bidders.
Yesterday, I noticed a movie I extremely advocate referred to as Fact and Treason. It was very properly finished and primarily based on a real story of resistance to Hitler within the Nazi instances by three youngsters, specifically Helmuth Hubener, who at 16 years of age used his appreciable writing expertise and intelligence—and conscience—to unfold phrase about fact in opposition to Hitler’s lies that had taken over a nation.
He, not like different church members and his bishop pastor, had the braveness and wit to do one thing to withstand the onslaught of sadism and hatred that fed the Hitlerian machine, and that so many older adults supported. He paid a value not not like that of Jesus, who taught him to face up for fact.
A well timed and pressing story for at this time, the place braveness is so uncommon in Congress and elsewhere. And holding up the younger for his or her management in appearing on their outrage at injustice and moral sense, that appears so missing of their compliant elders.
* Tom Latchem, “Actual Life Indiana Jones Torches Trump’s White Home Teardown with Scathing ISIS Comparability,” The Day by day Beast, October 24, 2025.
** Thom Hartmann, “The Coup that Lastly Labored: How Mike Johnson Succeeded The place the Rebel Failed,” The Hartmann Report, October 24, 2025.
To learn the transcript of Matthew Fox’s video meditation, click on HERE.
Banner Picture: The previous foyer of the East Wing of the White Home. Photograph by Harrison Keely. Wikimedia Commons.
Queries for Contemplation
Do you agree it’s time for deep ecumenism? And conscience? And braveness and resistance?
Beneficial Studying
One River, Many Wells: Knowledge Springing from International Religion Traditions.
“The Cosmic Christ and Deep Ecumenism,” in The Coming of the Cosmic Christ, pp. 228-244.
Trump & The MAGA Motion as Anti-Christ.
Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Remodeling Evil in Soul & Society.
A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Consciousness with Social Justice.
Creation Spirituality: Liberating Presents for the Peoples of the Earth.
