In recent days, a feud has taken hold between Pope Leo and President Trump. To a certain extent, these two men represent vastly different worlds: the world of spirituality, and the world of business (including the business of waging war). Normally, these two worlds stand in stark opposition to one another. But what if a bridge could be built between the two? What would that look like? And could it change the world?
Maybe these same birds will one day usher in an age of peace.
It is no secret that Pope Leo and President Trump have very different views when it comes to issues like immigration and the war with Iran. Pope Leo, a deeply spiritual man, wants the U.S. to show compassion toward undocumented immigrants. President Trump, ever the tough-minded businessman, says they broke the law, and are subject to deportation. Never mind that for the most part, they are honest, hard-working people, who are more than willing to do the work that no one else wants to do, like: picking fruits and vegetables in the hot sun, working in construction, landscaping, taking care of our kids and seniors, you name it.
Spirituality and business are often at odds with one another. Spirituality is a vision of what we could be. Business is what we are. Making money has become the ideological imperative of our time. And anything that stands in the way, has to go.
The war with Iran is another example of the disparity between spirituality and business. Pope Leo has rallied against the war because he feels that it is not a “just war”, as defined by Catholic teaching. Unlike a just war, the war against Iran is not in response to an imminent or actual attack by Iran. Therefore, the war is a “preventative” rather than defensive action. In addition, the war is not proportional, because the suffering caused outweighs any intended good. The war lacks a clear, moral intention, and dialogue is the better way to bring peace. And finally, the Pope says that fighting a war “in the name of Jesus Christ,” is a distortion of Christianity.
President Trump has a counter argument which also carries moral weight. He says that the Iranian regime has acted as a rogue state for 47 years, and has caused the deaths of thousands of Americans. Iran has funded, trained, and supported terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, to carry out terrorist actions on its behalf. Iran has called for the destruction of both Israel, and the U.S., whom they refer to as the “little devil’ and the “big devil”, respectively.
There is no question that the Iranian regime is motivated by extremist ideology and is intent on gaining some measure of control over the entire Middle East. To allow this regime to acquire nuclear weapons would be to put extreme weapons in the hands of ideological extremists. It would be morally wrong to do so, and definitely counter to the interests, including the business interests, of the West. Armed with nuclear weapons, the Iranian regime would gain a protective shield which would allow them to deter any military action against them, and would enable them to pursue their ideological and imperialistic ambitions unimpeded.
By some accounts, Iran was poised to acquire nuclear weapons in the near future, having produced 1000 pounds of enriched uranium at 60%, for which there is no purpose other than nuclear weapons. They have also developed long-range ballistic missiles that can travel up to 2500 miles, which would put most European cities in harm’s way.
Under these circumstances, Trump’s decision to degrade Iran’s military capabilities makes a lot of sense, including business sense, and is morally justifiable, especially considering recent actions by Iran, including the killing of 30,000 protesters.
Perhaps the threat from Iran was not “imminent” in a technical sense. But it was getting damn close. And if you wait to the last minute to do something about it, you may well miss the chance to do anything at all.
So there you have it; the clash between spirituality and business, including the business of waging war. However, it may be possible to imagine a bridge connecting the two, a bridge that, once built, will show us the face of peace.
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If we’re talking about spirituality, the ultimate expression of spirituality is peace. Pope Leo talks about peace every chance he gets. Business is not normally about peace. It’s about making money. Business is about wealth and power. Is it possible to leverage business into peace? And what would that look like?
There is an industrial zone being built in Saudi Arabia as we speak. It’s called Oxagon because it is shaped like an octagon. Half of it is on land, and half is floating on water. Surprisingly, many of the companies that are setting up shop there, are green companies, focusing on: climate change, clean water, food production, health care, green energy and carbon capture.
Suppose we combine these green companies into a Green Industrial Zone. It won’t cost any more because the project is already being built. Then we can proceed to give this business venture some measure of spirituality. We will hire Jews, Christians and Muslims, even Israelis and Palestinians, to work together, humanize one another, grow the trust, and lay the foundations for peace. We can imagine walking into a room, filled with all sorts of diverse people, not knowing who is who, and realizing, after a while, that it doesn’t really matter.
Each company will host an apprenticeship-to-employment program to give people the skills they need for good-paying jobs. Young people who want to run their own businesses will be taught the skills they need, and will be provided with the financing to get started.
In additional to green companies, we will build Greentech Incubators to come up with new technologies to save our planet; our one and only home.
We will partner with artists to produce movies, concerts, theater, and other works of art, to promote a culture of tolerance and trust, by highlighting our fundamental connection to one another and to the natural world.
We will us an Ideology of Common Sense to speak to one another with common sense, and with a sense of personal dignity.
Instead of philosophizing about peace, we will build models that we can actually see and touch, and that show us her beautiful face.
And finally, we will offer young people a place at the table, a decent job, an ownership stake in their future, a reason to keep the peace.
A Green Industrial Zone of this sort will not only float on water, but will float in the air as well, and shine brightly as a beacon of hope, for all to see, and for all to follow.
In one fell swoop, we will combine business and spirituality. In effect, we will leverage business into peace. People will still make money. God forbid you take that away. But instead of a cold-hearted approach to business, we will endow business with a greater sense of purpose, the purpose of peace, which is the essence of spirituality. An approach of this sort could even bridge the ideological gap that separates Pope Leo and President Trump.
They may even agree to share a deep-dish pizza in Chicago.
If you want to learn more about the idea, please visit our website at www.MissingPieceForGreen.com and take a look at this 5-minute video.