Conspiracies, demotions, and absurdities make the headlines these days. But it’s no different from yester-year. Don’t be flummoxed.

Reading the second chapter in I Kings, we meet Adonijah, the half-brother of King Solomon. Adonijah went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, and asked her to ask Solomon for the hand in marriage of Abishag.

“So Bathsheba said, ‘Very well, I will speak for you to the king.’”

King Solomon anticipated that Adonijah was challenging his throne. Abishag was a woman from Solomon’s harem. And, Solomon put a stop to the challenge by telling his chief of bodyguard, Benaiah, to kill Adonijah. Benaiah took care of business, along with killing others who opposed Solomon’s kingdom.

Solomon also had Abiathar demoted for conspiring with Adonijah.

The whole story is disconcerting, but instead of comparing it to today, I use the figures found in the Bible as symbols of thoughts.

Conspiracy could be a mix of thoughts of arrogance, fear, and envy. Those are the culprits to get rid of.

I remind myself to expose thoughts that self-destruct and give voice to knowledge of humility, respect, and awareness.