By Saran A.N. Lewis

Two men stand together in a formal room marked by symbols of national leadership. One is seated at a wooden desk, looking upward with a wide, genuine smile that softens the whole atmosphere. The other stands beside him with a calm, steady presence, shoulders relaxed, expression gentle, posture grounded and at ease.

The moment between them feels unexpectedly peaceful.
Not staged.
Not guarded.
Just human.

There is warmth in the eyes of the man standing.
There is openness in the smile of the man seated.
And between them, there is a sense of dignity, quiet respect, and shared possibility.

It is a picture of two people meeting each other without the armor that usually surrounds power. A moment where defenses seem lowered. A moment where humanity feels visible again.

This image reminds us that peace is possible even in places shaped by tension.
That connection can appear in unexpected ways.
That leadership, at its best, carries a pulse of humility and hope.

These are powerfully beautiful moments where people choose presence over posturing, warmth over walls, softness over spectacle.

This moment deserves to be seen for what it is: a glimpse of what could be when peace is allowed to breathe.

Why did so many of us make fun of it?

Why is the spirit of division and bullying so prevalent among us?

What are we afraid of?

We took unfamiliar peace and turned it into familiar chaos.

Why do we feel that we must pick sides? Why can’t we just elevate and appreciate peace? This was such a beautiful and powerful moment.

Being in industry Trump had genuine concerns about his nation’s profit. He might have been uniquely positioned to understand inequity in progress with awareness of other nations’ attempts to undermine US economic stability so that other countries could emerge as superpowers, in a world where being powerful meant being colonized.

Wanting to avert that is not wrong. What shapes the methodology is important.

Being shaped by a life lived across communities and systems, Mamdani developed a different but equally compelling concern, one rooted in understanding how policy and progress affect those without automatic access. His lived experience seems to have taught him what inequity looks like from the ground up, not as theory but as reality. From that vantage point, his ambition may be guided by a desire to widen opportunity, reshape systems, and bring fairness into spaces that once overlooked people like him. This kind of perspective can fuel a drive not only to succeed personally, but to ensure that others coming after him meet fewer barriers and more open pathways.

Both men aspire to address legitimate concerns, can we pause to understand what shapes their methodology so that we can move forward with informed compassion and wisdom together?

Can we seek accountability which leads to global progress, understanding that “words fitly spoken are like apples of gold in settings of silver”.

A Prayer for All Leaders

For world leaders, spiritual leaders, and healing leaders: in the name of Yeshua M’shikha

Baba Ndiri – our Father in heaven, in the name of Yeshua M’shikha,
I lift every leader on this earth before You.

Those who mold nations, those who guide churches and temples, those who seek to inspire in schools, hospitals, healing organizations, and communities in their care.

You alone see the truth behind every public mask.
You see the wounds that created defensiveness, the fears that hardened their instincts,
the longing they still carry
to be safe, to be worthy,
to be seen,
to be loved.

Baba, with lovingkindness we affirm the childlike innocence that You placed in every soul and we are thankful that it can rise again within us.

May we remember that we need more than naïveté that ignores wisdom,
We welcome the purity that recognizes truth without manipulation, that sees humanity before politics, that responds with curiosity instead of pride, and gentleness instead of force.

Let peace, not dominance and superiority
become the operating system of every leader’s heart.

We thank you for sifting the tares from the wheat in our leaders’ hearts.

Sift away fear so that courage remains.
Sift away ego and retain humility.
Where power has been misused, we invoke the power of repentance and repair.
Where trauma has shaped leadership, plant integration, healing, and nervous systems at rest.

May the leaders of nations remember the weight and worth of every human life.

May the leaders of religious communities
remember that no doctrine is ever more sacred than the people who stand before them.

May the leaders of healing organizations
remember the tenderness towards people that makes their calling holy.

Baba, teach us all to lead as Yeshua led,
not through domination, but with presence and peace, with truth that frees, and with love that does not fear complexity.

Let their decisions be guided by compassion, by the wellbeing of those
they have been entrusted to serve.

And may Your Spirit whisper
into the quiet places of all of our hearts, reminding us that strength is not control,
but alignment with Love.

That is power.

May innocence rise above agenda.
May peace rise above pride.
May wisdom rise above noise.
And may we all be transformed into living instruments of restoration, liberation, and healing peace.

May we remember the powerful intellect of our inner child.

May we align with Your kingdom of Love on Earth, as it is in heaven.

Forever and ever. Asé and amen.