What if we did something different?

In a time when spectacle often overrides substance, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed by the noise. Recently, I came across a pair of AI-generated images that made waves online—one of a hyper-muscular Trump wielding a red lightsaber, another of him dressed as the Pope. Both were intentionally provocative. Both were widely shared. And both stirred something deeper in me than just eye-rolling or annoyance. They made me ask:

Why do we keep amplifying this?

Trump as Pope

AI generated image posted by Donald Trump to his Truth social media account shortly after the death of Pope Francis.

We live in a culture where attention is power. Some public figures, have mastered the art of baiting the media and their opponents into keeping them in the spotlight—whether through outrage, mockery, or obsession. Even silence becomes part of the performance if it’s loud enough.

But what if we did something different?

What if we stopped reacting to every provocation? What if we let facts speak louder than fury, and truth take the place of theater? What if the goal wasn’t to win the argument, but to disarm the entire spectacle?

That question led me to a kind of meditation on responding to chaos without feeding it. The message is simple: resist the urge to react. Choose dignity over drama. Patience over panic. Wisdom over noise.

Sometimes the most radical thing we can do is wish people well. Not because we agree with them. Not because we accept what they’ve done. But because we refuse to let bitterness shape who we are.

There’s power in that.

And peace.