We Shit the Bed Again

Eight years ago I was shocked that America elected Donald Trump as president. Today I’m no longer shocked, but I am disappointed, concerned, and irritated. The older I’ve gotten, the more cynical I’ve gotten, but while cynical, I’m still by nature an optimist. Yes, we shit the bed, yes it is going to stink up the place for at least four years, but the only way to make it better is to do better and start cleaning up the mess at the earliest opportunity.

To do that, you have to find your footing. So please don’t take my attitude as one everyone needs to adopt. We each have our ways of coping with stress. Please take the time you need to get your strength. Gather together with your allies and those who give you comfort. Find your place of strength. For myself, when it comes to fight or flight, I’m almost all fight. I try not to tilt at windmills, I like my efforts to have a practical impact, but I best deal with my stress by taking action and working myself into a state of peace.

We managed to get through the first 4 years of Trump’s incompetent and mean spirited bullshit, and I sincerely hope we can get through another 4 years. If we are lucky, the damage will be repairable in the generation to come. If we are smart, we can limit the impact. If we are wise, we can turn the tide that led to this unfortunate moment. No matter how terrible history gets, and it can get a whole lot worse than this, humanity comes back, makes changes, and carries forward. Complete victory is never really possible, but you can move the needle in the direction of love, compassion, and comradery.

That said, Trump has gained experience, he’s had time to gather a larger cadre of bootlicking sycophants and to weed out principled and educated allies. This is the BBG’s second stage form and it will be harder than before. Its going to take numerous strategies by different agents to make progress against this tide of hateful bullshit. There is not a single right way to resist degradation. Some methods will be effective, others won’t, but ultimately we need to be supportive of one another in what ways we can to move towards the light.