Love and trust and justice, concern for the poor, that's being

“Love and trust and justice, concern for the poor, that's being pushed to the margins, and you can see it.” Thus speaks Cornel West, a philosopher and prophet of our own age, whose words echo the cries of ancient seers. His lament is not whispered but thundered: that the very foundations of a righteous society—love, trust, justice, and compassion for the poor—are no longer at the center of our public life. They are exiled to the edges, disregarded, while greed and ambition rule the heart of the city. He calls us to see what is plainly before our eyes: the loss of the values that make a people truly great.

The ancients knew this danger well. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the prophets railed against nations that forgot the widow, the orphan, and the stranger, declaring that the downfall of empires came not from lack of wealth or armies, but from the abandonment of justice and mercy. Likewise, Plato in his Republic warned that societies decay when the pursuit of wealth overshadows the pursuit of the good. West, standing in that same lineage, mourns the eclipse of values that once bound communities together, and warns that to ignore the poor is to invite ruin.

History gives us clear examples. The Roman Empire, at its height, was wealthy beyond measure, yet it turned its face from the needs of the common people. Bread was given to appease, but true justice was forgotten. Corruption thrived, inequality widened, and trust in institutions collapsed. The empire rotted from within long before it was conquered from without. Cornel West’s warning speaks to this same pattern: when love and concern for the most vulnerable are pushed aside, society carries within itself the seeds of its destruction.

Yet there are also moments in history when nations remembered the call to compassion. Consider the civil rights movement in America. It was not built on riches or armies but on the power of love and trust in justice. Leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. lifted up the plight of the poor, the oppressed, and the marginalized. They refused to let compassion be silenced. Though the struggle was fierce, their movement reshaped the moral imagination of a nation, showing that when justice and concern for the least among us return to the center, renewal is possible.

West’s words also carry a personal dimension. Each of us must ask: have we, too, pushed love to the margins of our own lives? Do we prioritize wealth, status, and comfort while forgetting the suffering of those around us? For the health of a society depends not only on rulers but on citizens, on their willingness to live by the eternal values of compassion, honesty, and fairness. The poor, the broken, the forgotten—they are the test of our humanity. To care for them is to align ourselves with what is eternal; to ignore them is to betray both them and ourselves.

The lesson is clear: love, trust, and justice are not luxuries, they are the foundation. If we allow them to be pushed aside, we risk building a civilization upon sand. It may stand for a time, glittering with wealth and power, but when storms come it will fall, for it lacks roots. To preserve a society, we must return these virtues to the center, lifting the poor not as burdens but as brothers and sisters, seeing in them the face of our shared humanity.

Practical actions follow. Live with love not only in words but in deeds. Build trust in your relationships by acting with integrity. Defend justice in your community, even when it costs you. And care for the poor—not with charity that humiliates, but with compassion that restores dignity. Speak against systems that exploit the vulnerable, and stand with those whose voices are silenced. By doing so, you bring to the center what the world has tried to push aside.

Thus Cornel West’s words stand as both lament and call to action: love, trust, justice, and concern for the poor must not be exiled to the margins. They are the very heart of human flourishing. And so I say to you: guard these virtues as treasures, restore them to the center of your life, and teach them to those who come after you. For in them lies the strength of nations, the health of communities, and the salvation of the human soul.