Author, actor, poet, musician, producer, philosopher, theologist and iconic thought leader Dr. Cornel West joins me on this episode; among the many things we discuss, he tells me: “We are witnessing the collapse and implosion of the American empire in real time,. Why does Dr. West think "the country is in deep trouble"? Like millions of others, I consider Cornel West the leading public intellectual of our time , right up there with Emerson and WEB DuBois. Brother Cornel graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard in three years and obtained his M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy at Princeton. He is the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary. He is the former Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy at Harvard University and Professor Emeritus at Princeton University. He has written 20 books and has edited 13, and is best known for his groundbreaking bestsellers Race Matters and Democracy Matters (and his cameos in The Matrix series). “Every empire comes and goes ,” Cornel said to me . “They begin to decay and decline because of military overreach and end up reaping what they sow. There is a spiritual and moral vacuum right now. " What does Dr. West think is the cause of the collapse and implosion of the American empire as we are experiencing it in real time? He also offers us an astonishing analogy which I never heard anyone else say before, based on the classic tale of Herman Melville's Moby Dick , and how we can never lose hope: “ Gold, status, position, spectacle, white power, all forms of idolatry lead toward self-destruction…We can never be surprised by evil or paralyzed by despair.” Listen in and be inspired by this Christian intellectual about the crises we face and how we can respond with the power of love and nonviolence: “To be a follower of Jesus means to take up your cross and follow him ,” he said to me with his usual passion . “Love means courage, integrity, and honesty. We will always be viewed as foolish, but we lead with love, and love our way through the darkness and cruelty. Love requires tremendous risk and sacrifice. Nonviolence without love is just a strategy and a tactic. His conviction goes deep and his words ring true: Love is the fundamental criteria. But love is never crushed, joy is never crushed, love is never eliminated. So, we will never forget, cave in, give up, or sell our souls.” Join us in this empowering conversation as we follow the nonviolent Jesus together! cornelwest.com beatitudescenter.com
