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Getting Over It & Getting On With It
On citizenship, discipleship, & refusing to be gaslit.
Jan. 18, 2017
The rest of us however--in fact, the large majority of us--are another matter. I for one, am NOT going to get over it. At least, not anytime soon. Allow me to explain why, and afterwards I have a few questions of my own for you followed by some thoughts for us all.
First, there seems to be some misunderstanding about what it is that I/we are not getting over. If I strike anyone as a "poor sport" perhaps that's because this wasn't a sporting event. It was an election... for an office that to me at least, is rather important. Had I thought it was a WWF Smackdown match I assure you I would've given my bookie very different instructions. Nor does my resistance have anything to do with what I deem offensive or politically incorrect. What's at stake here is the Presidency of the United States of America--a title which has a history, traditions, and sacred commitments, and with them responsibilities that are required of anyone appointed to that august office. Prior to Trump 44 men have held the presidency, none of whom were without their failings. To be sure, some were better than others and we didn't approve of them all, or have no concerns about those we did. But what those men all had in common was a recognition of the fact that this office, and everything it represents, is a sacred calling--one that was larger than their own egos and interests and could only be fulfilled by those willing to transcend themselves and rise to its duties.
In other words, it required them to be presidential.
Okay... now hold that thought, and consider the following New Year's Day tweet from "realDonaldTrump,"
"Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don't know what to do. Love!"
Like most of what Trump has said & done, this tweet doesn't concern me because I find it offensive. I honestly don't... he's right. I did fight him, & I lost badly. I'm concerned because it's precisely the sort of behavior we expect from a 12-year-old playground bully, not someone who is presidential. There's virtually no evidence whatsoever, here or anywhere else, to suggest that "realDonaldTrump" even recognizes, much less embraces the importance of rising above his own ego & narcissistic rage before assuming leadership of the Free World. Sorry, but that damn well does concern me! Call me a "whiner" if you like--I don't want a badly behaved, chest-beating little boy in the oval office, any more than I want one playing with loaded guns or piloting a motor vehicle on the freeway during rush hour. That isn't "whining." As citizens of these United States it's our duty to be concerned about such things! Does "real" Donald Trump have the restraint, the judgment, & most importantly, the selflessness that the Presidency of the United States of America requires? To anyone paying attention it's blindingly obvious that he does not.
I didn't like George W. Bush's presidency either. I took serious issue with most of his economic, environmental and foreign relations policies. But I did "get over" his election both times for one very important reason: Like his successor and predecessors, he was (and still is) a man--one who recognizes that there's far more to being presidential than being a playground bad-ass, and "You're FIRED...!" is not the answer to every question facing our nation, up to and perhaps including "Whaddaya think I should do with all these really cool missiles...?"
I can get over losing the election to someone who doesn't share my views on the economy or the environment. I can get over being branded an "elitist" for being scientifically literate enough to know that global warming isn't some nefarious conspiracy fomented by the Chinese. I can get over being accused of "liberal bias" for not being gullible enough to believe every silly, made-up rumor I get a hard-on from at Russian and Eastern European fake news websites. I can even get over the embarrassment of having a former nudie model for a First Lady...
Here's what I will not get over...
- Friends and colleagues living in fear of the very real possibility that they might be registered, and perhaps rounded up, pistol-whipped, and imprisoned in WWII-era internment camps because they profess the wrong religion...
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