By Israel Centeno

“Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, in whom there is no salvation.”

— Psalm 146:3

After living long enough, after approaching and even engaging in politics, after wasting time trying to understand it, analyze it, predict its movements, and even prophesy about its future, I have come to one undeniable truth: politics, as it is practiced, is made for a certain kind of man — a man without scruples.

Some of these individuals, by accident, might bring about some good. But more often than not, in their climb toward power, they begin to lose their sensitivity. Hubris, that dangerous pride the Greeks warned us about, takes hold. And once it does, no ideology, no righteous cause survives untouched.

There is no clearer truth than the biblical warning: do not trust in man. To put your faith in a politician, in a leader, in a so-called messiah or enlightened vanguard, is often to place your hope in the hands of your future executioners. Perhaps not today, perhaps not tomorrow — but history proves it again and again.

If we are to trust in humankind at all, let it be in our neighbor. The one near us. The one whose suffering we can witness, whose needs we can touch. That is where true love can take shape. Love not through rhetoric, but through real, concrete action. In that space, we can renounce power and choose service.

Those who come into power rarely leave quickly. And power, when prolonged, takes root in coveting. Politicians may begin believing they can change the world. But they end up merely trying to preserve their position. The soul is lost in the process. They no longer love the cause — they love power. They no longer seek the common good — they seek the mechanism that sustains them.

Do not place your hope in those who promise to change an entire country, to stop global injustice, to promote some redeeming political initiative. No. That is vanity. Empty words that feed the illusion.

Love for neighbor and love for God is the only space where one can resist the corruption of our time. It is there — in the humble act of listening, caring, sharing — that the deepest and most revolutionary transformation happens. Not a systemic change, but a change of heart.

Behind the love of money, behind the hunger for influence, there is coveting. Coveting leads us to lie, steal, murder, betray. Through coveting, one desires what belongs to another — their wealth, their spouse, their power. Coveting breaks relationships and draws us away from God. And in the world of power, coveting is the fuel, the engine, the silent law that governs everything.

Love your neighbor as yourself. Love God above all things. That is the only real politics for a free soul. In that realm — where there are no false promises, no campaigns, no propaganda, but real acts of compassion — the best of humanity can still be revealed. There, we can still find beauty, truth, and hope.