SPIRITUAL LEADERS AND POLITICS: THE PERCEPTIONS, CHALLENGES & THE ANNEX.
The good have become bad at ‘doing good’ and the bad have perfected the art of feigning good.
The image of politics has been so bastardized over the decades that at the sound if the word ‘politician’, people twitch their noses and shake their heads. We don’t always say it, but most of us in the millennial generation-and the one before-believe that politics is indeed a dirty game. It seems to always have been. The bureaucracy of the last century has seen some of the worst blows to humanity.
It is no surprise therefore that seeing a ‘holy’ man or ‘spiritual’ personality’ venturing into politics, there is this silent judgement in our hearts; followed by seemingly poignant questions, like “what is pastor or deacon doing?”, “running for office?”, “do they not know that to fight a pig, you must soil your linen?”
We seem to have forgotten that before time, spiritual leaders across the world have always been significant political figures. We seem to forget how King David would cower at Samuel’s rebuke and how the Kings of England or Scotland cannot be crowned except by the pope or archbishop. In Africa and other parts of Asia, the kings or chiefs would tremble at the sound of the shakers of the chief priests or priestesses. Their words were held with utmost wisdom and insight and in some cases were held as law until… of course, they too were caught in the trap of their canal desires.
In more contemporary time, the involvement of ‘holy’ men and women in financial, sexual and other scandals has diminished the public’s trust in spiritual leaders in general. And those who have successfully avoided this plague are weary of jumping into the muddiest of all the waters — Politics.
Which brings to mind some important questions: Is a chess game based on the pieces on the board or the players? Is politics made on the positions held or the people who occupy them? The answers to these questions have become grey areas, as the good and the bad have gradually merged to create a shade of grey making it hard to distinguish. The good have become bad at ‘doing good’ and the bad have perfected the art of feigning good.
The world does not need more greedy experts or canal spiritual leaders. The world is in dire need of good hearts, good intentions and willingness for good change. It is therefore our jobs as leaders and the led to look beyond the often deceitful exterior before drawing conclusions.
