Somehow, while we were shrouded in the fog of our political complacency, this reality show imbecile and his handlers—both here and abroad—have managed, methodically and rather quickly, to take over and hobble our democracy. This has backed the majority of Americans—those of us who reject the junta’s ignorance and fear mongering—into a corner, evoking a massive, national fight-or-flight response.
Flush with adrenaline, we naturally focus on what appears to be the most egregious, in-your-face threat of the day—insults to allies, collusion with enemies, sabotage of democratic institutions, betrayal of environmental responsibility, stifling a free press, condoning of racism…it goes on and on.
But while we’ve been so intent on fighting off the assault on our country’s hard-won freedoms and values, there’s been another, deeper, much less obvious victim of the abuse.
The worse he proves to be, the better
they like him...and he feeds on their
utter lack of self-respect.
DOWN FOR THE COUNT
Like a filthy old HVAC system run amok, Donald Trump has sucked the air out of the room. After a year and a half of gasping for breath in this vacuum, anyone who remembers what truth and decency are is, in a slight twist of the word, losing unconsciousness.
The media—shame on them—have been unable to resist ennobling his every vile or vacuous word. Social media’s gotten so saturated with both his foolishness and legitimate resistance to it, that folks can no longer get a word in edgewise about their kids, pets, travels or personal epiphanies.
Nope, just as this sniveling bully-brat has somehow always managed to do, he’s made it all about him. Apparently, as P.T. Barnum said, there’s no such thing as bad publicity. In fact, for his rabid base, the worse a leader—not to mention human being—he proves to be, the better they like him. And he feeds on their utter lack of self-respect.
The toll this great nation will endure for a generation or more will involve more than our freedom, our respected standing in the world, the livability of the planet or our humanity toward one another. It will—already has—involve the loss of our higher consciousness as a nation, our sense of who we are and of the essential interconnectedness of all Creation.
I dare say, for inciting a degree of polarization and lack of civility unknown in my lifetime, it will also affect the health of the millions of people around the world who feel assaulted, abased by this bully. Ironically, as decent people fight for a sane, healthy future for our offspring, chronic stress shrinks our own life expectancy.
Truth doesn’t play nice with their fear-mongers.
OBAMA CARED
Say what they will about Barack Obama or his policies as president, he was without doubt a real, thinking, caring human being. An evolved person—curious, aware of both himself and others, able to adapt to changing circumstances, whether they required he be fully present in the moment or articulating a grand vision. There used to be many other such evolved and evolving leaders, of both political parties. But Donald Trump and many of his henchmen are sworn enemies of any kind of evolution. In fact, they’re systematically weeding out anyone, at any level of government, who pretends allegiance to demonstrable truth over blind loyalty to their visionless, self-serving doctrine.
Truth doesn’t play nice with their fear-mongers. It makes the fear real...but just for them.
EYE ON THE BALL
So, one moment I’m thinking the very best thing we could do to resist this unprecedented assault on our personal and national values is to simply out-think, out-create, out-care Trump and those working his strings. To avoid falling for the distraction and continue living, despite the aggression, as evolved and evolving human beings.
The next moment, I’m back in that fight-or-flight response. Who cares if the man who’d replace him is even more frightening than he is. Just get this robber of all that’s honest and decent out of my house.
I’m disappointed in myself for this vacillation. That I ever allow my best instincts to be sapped by the impulse to defend myself against the violation of my life and that of my country.
So, do you experience this same dilemma? How do you deal with it? Are you any better able than I to keep your eye on the ball and remain true to yourself? If not, how do you cope?
P.S.
Assuming that the wheels of justice turn too slowly to squash this swarm of bugs before this fall’s midterm elections, I’m able to find some hope that decent people who still recognize what it is that has made America great will turn out en masse to vote.
We need political candidates, at every level, who’ll articulate a renewed vision of a world that runs not on people’s basest instincts, not at the whim of a ruthless oligarchy, but once again on hope, mindfulness, love and generosity. One that answers to an authority higher than aberrant interpretations of patriotism and and Christianity, or a sniveling bully and his self-loathing, suicidal following.
So find out who are some of the congressional candidates whose races could go either way. Not just in your own state, though that's a good start. Pick a few from other parts of the country. And pitch in...whatever you can afford. A good place to start is the DCCC. (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee) Locally, you might consider volunteering to knock on doors or make phone calls, which experts keep saying is quite effective.
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