TO WORLD LEADERS

SECULAR ENCYCLICALS

January 20, 2026

An Open Letter to World Political Leaders of Good Will WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR OF PRESIDENT TRUMP AND COMPANY

The people of the world are subject to the skillful and unskillful behaviour of our leaders. We are currently in dire need of some skillful action to protect us from the uncontrolled actions of those who are not in alliance with universal and developmental values, who are not committed to the practice of human rights.

“President Trump does what he does because we are not doing what we should be doing.” This rather concise and simplistic synopsis of a very complex problem leads us to the source of the chaos created by the unskillful behaviour of one of the world’s leaders. The source, enacted upon with either good or ill will, is the clinging to and practice of a primitive mindset that predisposes one with the belief that aggression is the primary way to solve problems as well as to achieve personal and political goals and objectives. While conflicting narratives and statements associated with President Trump often raise questions about his mental competency, it is the behavioural aspect of his blatant aggression that should concern us the most. His political action and the ensuing sense of fear and urgency, in addition to the chaos, anger, sense of division and frustration, bring us to an urgent and critical presenting problem prevalent in the world today – how to prevent and control damaging behaviour.

This critical presenting problem is also our most urgent and critical need. It is related to all of the urgent worldwide problems and crises. Humanity is not managing its affairs well, and at the base of this is our failure to skillfully manage destructive, aggressive behaviour.

“Our behaviour in how we live, is largely floundering if not completely out of control and our numerous organizations, those structures within which we practise our social covenants, have begun to deteriorate more than they are developing. This is because of the unskillful behaviour we too often regularly incorporate into our actions. Much of this erosion in our socio-political and cultural organizations comes from the random and uncontrolled action of ill will. Within our organizations, specifically our political, legislative and judicial bodies, we certainly have all the necessary means and personnel to permit continued socio-political growth and development and for the improvement of the quality of life. Furthermore, we have everything we need to be able to control our destructive, unskillful behaviour.

However, while these organizations or structures exist at the personal, local, or national level, the means whereby they could foster proper socio-political growth and development do not exist as they lack sufficient binding powers or jurisdiction at a global or international level”.

“Codified and legally binding legislation, aimed at serving humanity and teaching us to control misguided human behaviour, do not exist as worldwide legal realities and function only in theory or as fragmented legal realities. Various organized efforts in these areas do in fact exist but operate only within the barriers of covenants primarily created from motives promoting self-preservation, protection, conquest, control, or competition.”

“Unless and until we have comprehensive planning to create binding global recognition and covenants with real teeth, which would apply to all aspects of individual and collective health and welfare, as alluded to in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we will not make real progress in what we term the ‘authentic development’ of our human potential.” (A SECULAR ENCYCLICAL, Smith, 2025) Without binding legislation at the global or international level, we are unable to take fundamental action or fulfil our responsibilities arising from our dual role as human beings. On the broadest international scale, we need the means to achieve the same sort of solid legal guides to socio-political interaction and conduct that individual nations have. That is, binding legislation promulgated through democratic decision-making and negotiated covenant. The current critical opportunity to establish a democratically functioning international governing body with provisions for enforcement and military control may be lost if action is not taken at this critical time.

The urgent need for what may be considered obvious and extremely critical is clearly evident in the current worldwide conflicts, which clearly need the intervention of the international community. The failure of leadership, in which we all share to some extent, to establish international consultation and binding legislation and action to secure peace and ongoing development, seems to be an ally to the destructive actions of, for example, the political action of the USA coordinated by the authoritative actions of a President who is clearly out of control.

The existence of a United Nations with a ‘veto’ also supports the destructive actions of ill will and the aggressive, destructive behaviour of all. The current discussions regarding a global alliance must now be put into action by calling upon all willing nations to meet with this very proposal and implement a plan as soon as possible. The same proposal will halt some of the destructive actions. Allowing the continued destructive actions of President Trump and all those who are holding humanity at ransom gives opportunity to create a situation where it will be too late to unite. You are urged to take action in the formation of a united world governance to deal with this urgent need.

Glenn Boyd Smith