An Open Letter to Stephen Miller by Paul Nyklicek
Words of counsel from a person of faith.
Dear Stephen,
The easiest thing in the world would be to write you an angry letter or one telling you how disappointed I am in you. A letter like that would be easy for you to ignore, and that’s exactly what I don’t want you to do.
The truth is, as a person of faith, I’m worried about you.
Beyond what you have been doing to others, I don’t think you realize what you’re doing to yourself. You are on a path that will lead to great suffering, and you are sadly mistaken if you believe that you are insulated from the pain you are inflicting on others. The fact is, when your actions traumatize others, you bring shame upon yourself. You may not be aware of it at present, but it is happening to you nonetheless. Just as hypertension is known as the “invisible killer,” internalized shame is creating an unnoticed but growing poison within you. There is still time for you to choose a different path. I urge you to do just that before it’s too late. If you don’t, pain and humiliation will be your destination.
You have spoken of the “iron laws of the world” that you contend are based on strength, force, and power. I see that you do your best to project strength, but, sadly, this is just camouflaged arrogance. I understand that you may bristle at my use of that word, but please know it is not the way I characterize your true identity. At your deepest, most central core, I know that you are a good person, meant for love as we all are.
By definition, an “iron law” isn’t flexible. When you speak of strength, you convey that survival is only for those who are strong enough. This implies that those who are not strong enough don’t deserve to live. No compassion, no mercy for the unfortunate.
The question, of course, is what happened that lead to such a thorough obscuring of your true self. I’m tempted to speculate, but it’s rightfully a question for you to wrestle with and answer for yourself, because it’s your fate that hangs in the balance.
What needs no speculation is that you have become infected with the “might-makes-right” virus that has disoriented and distorted so many before you. This infection has caused untold suffering for thousands of years. The hallmark symptom of this condition is an extreme form of materialism. Under its the influence, you see human beings as mere objects. It’s no wonder you feel the way you do about immigrants. You perceive them as different, a threat to some mythical notion of purity. You regard them as gate-crashers who have entered your exclusive country club and must be dealt with harshly. Declaring them to be “illegal” is dehumanization with a very thin veneer of propriety. Less than human means easy to abuse. Less than human means disposable.
As I said, Stephen, you are only hurting yourself by doing what you’re doing. As far as I know, you’re not personally killing anyone or terrorizing anyone. You have others do it for you. Even so, you don’t have to be the one pulling the trigger or beating someone with a club to harm yourself by harming others. Just ask the military’s drone operators, safely thousands of miles away from their targets. Research by the US military shows that they suffer post-traumatic stress disorder at the same rate as those piloting military aircraft in combat zones. None of us can escape how profoundly interconnected we are.
You’re not wrong for valuing strength, but your understanding of it is very narrow. Strength is not merely the crude domination of others by physical force. It is not simply a matter of materialistic advantage. Real strength is much more. It needs no boasting or advertising. It is quiet and humble because it is an expression of wisdom and compassion. Real strength looks to help the disadvantaged. It seeks to give to those in need and to ease the burden of those who suffer. These qualities still exist within you, if only you would grant them parole.
Do you realize what are you sacrificing for status, political power, and the sense of domination over others? At what cost? Do you really believe that this will bring you health and happiness? It won’t, because it can’t.
You have been trading in your true identity for the privilege of serving an authoritarian beast. And no, I’m not referring to the president. The beast is far beyond any individual person but it consumes people without hesitation. This beast is the glorification of death and destruction, a dark hypnosis that conflates cruelty with pleasure and honor. The creature you serve is doomed to fail because its narrow vision allows it only to know a tiny fraction of what is truly real. It believes only in things that have worth based on the satisfaction the beast derives from them. Love is incomprehensible to it. That is its greatest weakness and its fatal flaw.
Stephen, here is what I want you to understand:
All human beings, no matter where or how they live, are first-class citizens of this world. This planet is home to all of us, and no one can be an “alien” in their own home. This little planet we live on is a gift we have received, not something we are entitled to. Earth doesn’t belong to us; we belong to it. We are guests, not landlords. It is our privilege to be good stewards of our home and all who live in it.
With deepest concern,
Paul
Paul Nyklicek is a husband and a father. He works in Farmington, Connecticut, as a psychotherapist and is an associate member of Veterans for Peace.
Great letter, Paul. I just wish Stephen Miller subscribed to Tomorrow's American Catholic but Inseriously doubt it.