Jesus  Gets  Depressed  
Did  I  live  and  die  in  vain?  
 
By  Jane  Gilgun  
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
About  this  Article  
 
This  article  imagines  what  Jesus  would  say  about  US  politics  today.  He  would  probably  
continue  to  recommend  that  we  turn  the  other  cheek,  but  he  would  also  recommend  
naming  actions  as  evil  in  their  consequences  when  they  are.  Actions  are  evil  when  they  
profit  you  and  hurt  others.  He  would  also  probably  recommend  that  we  name  actions  
as  good  when  they  are  good  in  their  consequences.  
 
About  the  Author  
 
Jane  F.  Gilgun,  Ph.D.,  LICSW,  writes  for  Amazon  Kindle,  scribd.com,  and  
iBooks.  She  has  done  research  on  the  meanings  of  violence  to  perpetrators  and  has  
looked  evil  in  the  eyes.  She  knows  it  when  she  sees  it.  Her  research  has  practically  
done  her  in.  In  her  own  words  about  this  article:  “Writing  this  has  lifted  my  spirits  a  
bit.  The  US  political  scene  has  dispirited  me.  Attack  politics  has  got  to  go.”  
  
 
Jesus  Gets  Depressed  
Did  I  live  and  die  in  vain?  
 
 

J   esus  was  talking  to  a  couple  friends  at  his  carpentry  shop  in  heaven  the  other  day.    
This  is  what  he  said.  
 
I’ve  been  trying  not  to  get  depressed  over  the  state  of  politics  in  the  United  
States  these  days.    You  know  me,  the  perennial  optimist,  wanting  to  believe  the  best  
of  everybody,  even  believing  that  if  I  think  the  best  of  everybody,  then  their  best  will  
come  out.    I’m  sad  to  say  I’m  starting  to  wonder  if  I’ve  underestimated  the  power  of  
Satan  and  of  evil  in  general.      
 
I’ve  had  my  doubts  before,  as  you  know,  what  with  the  killing  of  Jews  in  the  
1940s,  the  mass  rapes  and  genocides  in  Africa,  apartheid  throughout  the  world,  the  
European  wars  over  the  centuries,  how  the  British  and  other  colonizers  destroyed  
civilizations,  the  lynching  of  African  Americans  in  the  United  States,  the  on-­‐going  
cruelty  and  soul  murder  of  lesbians,  gays,  and  anyone  else  who  does  not  live  up  to  
the  crowds’  idea  of  what  ought  to  be,  but  the  United  States  is  a  case  by  itself.  
 
The  Ideals  of  the  U.S.  Filled  Me  with  Hope  
 
The  United  States  is  founded  on  the  principle  of  equality.  “We  hold  these  
truths  to  be  self-­‐evident”  that  all  people  are  created  equal  says  the  Declaration  of  
Independence.    Their  government  is  of  the  people,  by  the  people,  and  for  the  people.  
The  United  States  gave  me  such  hope  that  my  vision  of  “Love  one  another  as  I  have  
loved  you”  and  “if  you  do  this  for  the  least  of  them  you  do  it  for  me”  was  coming  
true.  They  had  conflict  and  slipping  back  over  the  centuries,  but  most  of  the  people  
wanted  what  the  United  States  stands  for.  They  were  willing  to  fight  for  these  ideals.  
Many  died  for  them.  
 
What  happened  in  the  United  States?  The  ideals  of  the  Declaration  of  
Independence,  the    U.S.  Constitution,  and  the  Bill  of  Rights  filled  me  with  such  hope.  
Now  that  I  see  what  is  happening  there,  I  wonder  if  I  lived  and  died  in  vain.  
 
I’ve  never  seen  such  hatred  in  U.S.  politics.  Politicians  get  elected  when  they  
say  their  goal  is  to  take  down  the  President.    They  destroy  the  reputations  of  their  
opponents.  They  lie,  and  people  vote  for  them.  Whatever  happened  to  “of  the  people,  
by  the  people,  and  for  the  people?”    I  thought  the  job  of  politicians  was  to  govern  
according  to  these  principles.    Instead,  the  goal  is  to  destroy  other  people  to  gain  
power.  
Maybe  I  Failed  
 
  I  am  starting  to  think  that  I  failed  and  that  Satan  is  more  clever  and  seductive  
than  I  thought.    Maybe  I  didn’t  make  clear  how  good  evil  feels.    Evil  puffs  you  up,  and  
makes  you  feel  wonderful.  You  are  in  a  place  where  nobody  and  nothing  can  hurt  
you  and  where  you  can  finally  get  what  you  want.    Evil  blots  out  everything  else  but  
what  you  want  and  permits  you  to  do  whatever  it  takes  to  get  what  you  want.    
 
  When  you  are  doing  evil,  you  don’t  care  about  what  happens  to  other  people  
as  you  go  after  what  you  want.  The  principle  of  judging  actions  by  their  
consequences  for  the  good  does  not  exist.    The  idea  of  the  common  good  does  not  
exist.  
 
  It’s  me,  me,  me  all  the  time.    The  most  clever  of  those  who  do  evil  cloak  
themselves  in  the  appearance  of  virtue,  of  caring  for  others.  They  feel  so  good  at  
doing  things  to  get  what  they  want  that  they  don’t  think  about  anything  else.  Some  
think  they  are  doing  good  or  don’t  think  about  the  consequences  of  their  acts  or  
don’t  care  about  consequences.  
 
They  give  with  one  hand  and  take  with  another.    Freedom  and  what  it  means  
are  examples.    Some  politicians  are  proclaiming  the  virtues  of  freedom.    Who  doesn’t  
want  freedom?    That  is  what  I  am  about—to  free  people  from  hatred  and  fear  and  to  
replace  hatred  and  fear  with  love  for  one  another  and  the  promotion  of  the  common  
good.  
 
Freedom  to  Do  What  They  Want  Regardless  of  Consequences  for  Others  
 
  There  are  so  many  in  the  United  States  who  state  they  are  fighting  for  
freedom.  What  they  are  fighting  for  is  the  freedom  to  do  what  they  want.  They  want  
status,  power,  and  wealth.  They  do  not  care  that  getting  what  they  want  hurts  so  
many  others.    They  lay  people  off  to  make  bigger  profits.  They  use  taxpayers’  money  
on  the  stock  market,  make  billions  for  themselves,  and  then  lose  taxpayers’  money.  
They  are  clever.  They  use  other  peoples’  money  to  make  themselves  super-­‐rich  
while  so  many  are  bankrupt  and  fearful  of  the  future.    
 
Evil  happens  when  the  rich  want  the  government  off  their  backs  so  they  are  
free  to  pollute  the  environment  even  more  than  they  have.  They  don’t  care  who  they  
hurt.      
 
  I  remember  saying,  “I  tell  you  the  truth.  It  is  hard  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  the  
kingdom  of  heaven.  Again  I  tell  you,  it  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  the  eye  of  a  
needle  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  the  kingdom  of  God.”  
   I  said  that.    I  mean  that.    It’s  hard  because  the  rich  are  powerful.    They  have  
resources  to  get  what  they  want.  When  no  one  stands  up  to  them  to  tell  them  when  
their  actions  hurt  others,  they  keep  on  doing  hurtful  things.  They  keep  on  doing  
hurtful  things  because  their  actions  make  THEM  feel  good.    They  think  about  the  
consequences  of  their  actions  for  themselves  and  not  for  the  rest  of  us.  Not  all  of  the  
rich  are  like  that,  but  enough  are  to  cause  me  to  think  I  may  have  failed  in  my  
mission.  
 
I  can  go  on  and  on,  but  my  point  is  that  this  is  Satan  at  work—when  
politicians  and  the  super-­‐wealthy  manipulate  voters  into  thinking  they  are  on  the  
side  of  voters  when  all  they  care  about  is  their  own  freedom.  They  don’t  care  that  
their  exercise  of  “freedom”  tramples  on  the  freedoms  of  others.  
 
Yes,  evil  feels  good.  Evil  is  riding  high  in  the  United  States.  
 
Turn  the  Other  Cheek  
 
As  I  talk,  I  realize  that  I  may  have  failed  in  telling  people  how  to  respond  to  
evil,  how  to  fight  back.    I  said,  “Turn  the  other  cheek,”  and  that  is  what  I  still  believe.  
Of  course,  I  sometimes  doubt  how  much  good  this  has  done.    Look  at  the  amount  of  
revenge  in  the  world  and  the  terrible  consequences  of  actions  based  on  revenge.  Yet,  
I  know  that    “turn  the  other  cheek”  is  the  best  course,  but  people  can’t  stop  there.    
 
What  people  could  do  to  combat  the  evil  done  in  the  name  of  good  is    
 
• Stop  being  surprised  when  you  see  or  experience  evil  acts.  
• Don’t  be  stupefied  when  you  see  or  experience  evil  acts.  
• Name  what  is  going  on.  
• Name  it  over  and  over.  
• Use  the  mass  media  to  name  it.  Blog.  Comment.  Write  articles  like  this  
one.  
• Call  these  people  out—those  people  whose  exercise  of  “freedom”  
harms  others.  
• Stick  to  the  facts.  
• Put  your  values  out  there:  the  common  good,  human  equality,  respect,  
social  justice,  care.  
• Name  the  consequences  of  actions  as  good  when  they  are.  
• Spend  time  with  others  who  see  the  consequences  of  unrestrained  
freedom  and  appreciate  the  good.  
• Keep  your  sense  of  humor.  
• Use  key  phrases:  “Your  freedom  stops  where  my  freedom  begins.”  
 
 
What  I  Want  
 
  I  want  people  to  understand  what  I  lived  and  died  for.  I  want  people  to  stand  
up  for  what  is  right.  I  chased  the  money  lenders  out  of  the  temple.  They  took  
advantage  of  others  for  their  own  gains.  They  did  not  think  their  actions  were  evil.  
Their  actions  were  evil.  Evil  is  acting  in  ways  that  profit  you  and  hurt  others.  We  all  
do  evil  at  times.  Hope  lies  in  those  who  realize  they  have  done  evil,  and  they  change  
their  ways.    Sometimes  other  people  have  to  tell  us  we  have  done  evil.  The  silent  
majority  of  U.S.  citizens  are  appalled  at  the  evil  that  is  being  done  in  politics  today.    
They  have  to  name  these  behaviors.  Nothing  will  change  until  they  do.  
 
  I  feel  better  now.  I  am  doing  what  I  can  to  help  people  to  stand  up  to  the  evil  
consequences  of  the  actions  of  the  powerful.    Now  I  can  go  back  to  building  the  
house  for  the  children  whose  parents  did  not  make  it  to  heaven  because  they  
exercised  their  freedoms  to  the  point  where  they  hurt  their  children  deeply.  
 
Author’s  Note:  I  am  being  audacious,  perhaps,  speaking  for  Jesus.    I  don’t  know  what  
he  would  really  think,  but  I  do  know  that  he  was  concerned  about  evil  and  would  
want  those  still  on  earth  to  talk  to  one  another  about  what  evil  is  and  how  to  
respond  to  it.    
 
About  the  Author  
 
Jane  F.  Gilgun,  Ph.D.,  LICSW,  writes  for  Amazon  Kindle,  scribd.com,  and  
iBooks.  She  has  done  research  on  the  meanings  of  violence  to  perpetrators  and  has  
looked  evil  in  the  eyes.  She  knows  it  when  she  see  it.  Her  research  has  practically  
done  her  in.  Writing  this  has  lifted  my  spirits.  The  US  political  scene  has  dispirited  
me.  Attack  politics  have  to  go.  
 
References  
 
Gilgun,  Jane  F.  (2010).  Child  sexual  abuse:  From  harsh  realities  to  hope.  
http://www.scribd.com/doc/16484981/Child-­‐Sexual-­‐Abuse-­‐From-­‐Harsh-­‐Realities-­‐
to-­‐Hope  
 
Gilgun,  Jane  F.  (2010).  Evil  feels  good.  Think  before  you  act.  
http://www.scribd.com/doc/38489251/Evil-­‐Feels-­‐Good-­‐Think-­‐Before-­‐You-­‐Act  
 
Gilgun,  Jane  F.  (2009).  Harry  Dent  sees  the  light:  A  racist  realizes  he  had  done  
wrong.  http://www.scribd.com/doc/16546258/Harry-­‐Dent-­‐Sees-­‐the-­‐Light-­‐A-­‐
Racist-­‐Realizes-­‐He-­‐Did-­‐Wrong  
 
Gilgun,  Jane  F.  (2010).  Living  well  is  the  best  revenge:  The  example  of  Jefferson  
Thomas,  a  hero  of  our  times.  http://www.scribd.com/doc/39052198/Living-­‐Well-­‐
is-­‐the-­‐Best-­‐Revenge-­‐The-­‐Example-­‐of-­‐Jefferson-­‐Thomas-­‐A-­‐Hero-­‐of-­‐Our-­‐Times  
 
Gilgun,  Jane  F.    (2009).  On  being  a  shit:  Unkind  deeds  and  cover-­‐ups  in  everyday  life.  
http://www.scribd.com/doc/16545438/On-­‐Being-­‐a-­‐Shit-­‐Unkind-­‐Deeds-­‐CoverUps-­‐
in-­‐Everyday-­‐Life  
 
Gilgun,  Jane  F.  (2010).  Violence  actual  and  imagined:  Reflection  on  more  than  20  
years  of  research.    
http://www.scribd.com/doc/39119048/Violence-­‐Actual-­‐and-­‐Imagined-­‐
Reflections-­‐on-­‐More-­‐Than-­‐20-­‐Years-­‐of-­‐Research  
 
Gilgun,  Jane  F.  (2010).  What  child  sexual  abuse  means  to  abusers.  
http://www.scribd.com/doc/26614189/What-­‐Child-­‐Sexual-­‐Abuse-­‐Means-­‐to-­‐
Abusers  
 
The  Bible,  especially  the  Gospels  of  Jesus  and  he  letter  of  Paul  to  the  Corinthians  
which  states  the  following.  
 
A  Reading  from  the  letter  of  Paul  to  the  Corinthians  
 
If  I  should  speak  with  the  tongues  of  people  and  of  angels,  but  do  not  have  love,  I  
have  become  as  sounding  brass,  or  a  tinkling  cymbal.    And  if  I  have  prophecy  and  
know  all  mysteries  and  all  knowledge,  and  if  I  have  all  faith  so  as  to  remove  
mountains,  yet  do  not  have  love,  I  am  nothing.    And  if  I  distribute  all  my  goods  to  
feed  the  poor,  and  if  I  deliver  my  body  to  be  burned,  yet  do  not  have  love,  it  profits  
me  nothing.    
 
Love  is  patient,  love  is  kind.    Love  does  not  envy,  is  not  pretentious,  is  not  puffed  up,  
is  not  ambitious,  is  not  self-­‐seeking,  is  not  provoked;  thinks  no  evil,  does  not  rejoice  
over  wickedness,  but  rejoices  with  the  truth;  bears  with  all  things,  believes  all  
things,  endures  all  things.    
 
At  present,  we  see  through  a  glass  darkly,  but  then  face  to  face.  
Faith,  hope,  love  remain,  but  the  greatest  of  these  is  love.