I have only written a few times here, over the years. Mostly I just read and react and then let go. I write those thoughts as therapy to help me get through the day ahead. Here they are…
i can't believe that Americans chose a narcisistic conman for president over my candidate.
My heart is broken and I am afraid.
I do think I have a rough theory as to why it happened.
First I have to say Hillary was flawed candidate, too cautious, too risk averse, perhaps too battle scarred to be the one to lead us in these strange days. And she always did have a way of putting her foot in her mouth, i.e. basket of deplorables. But I don't think it was any sin or failing of her platform or her character that was the reason for her loss.
I think it was because she represented the Establishment and people have lost faith in this very thing, The Establishment.
This is not good.
What is the establishment now? It used to represent the very pillars of our civilization, the Banking System, the three branches of government, the Fourth Estate, the Constitution. They had once been seen as our protection against the evils and catastrophes of man and of nature. It represented stability, boring but safe, and all working within an orderly system that kept us prosperous and unified as a country.
But the pillars of society have all failed us the last 30 years.
We have a divided and paralyzed political system, where nothing gets done and it is always somebody else's fault.
In 2007-08 we had a meltdown of our banking system, our financial sector, the entire infrastructure of international commerce, and we almost lost complete control of the world economy, and it has not recovered fully and is still cracked and fragile.
Our press is now fully owned as part of large conglomerates and now needs ratings more than news. So we get infotainment and hype because it's exciting rather than analysis or investigation which is dull.
The Constitution is merely a political football between the Right and the Left.
Foreign policy is no longer as simple as the West against The Soviet Empire. It is now a bewildering mix of globalism, jihadism, old wars we can't end, and the fracturing of old alliances.
And the last economic crisis deprived us of the last of our security, our pensions, and our homes.
We as a people no longer believe in our own power because all the structures we used to build our lives have turned to sand at our feet.
As E.E. Cummings said,
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
What happens when the people lose faith in their own society? They yearn for a Strong Man, who tells them he will save them and all will be well again. Instead of faith in themselves to work together for today and tomorrow, they give their faith to the Man on the White Horse.
That man is Donald Trump. Never mind his flaws, he is the One.
What does one do in the face of this?
Not sure yet. I am stilling reeling a bit. I need time to figure things out. But I do know one thing.
We must keep fighting, keep believing in ourselves, our strengths and our values, avoid finger pointing and recriminations, find others who share our goals and stay unified and strong as we rejoin the effort to build our today and tomorrow. Do not lose heart, keep your eyes on the prize.
