AMERICA’S PRE-EXISTING CONDITION
America is not feeling well. She suffers from a myriad of symptoms — fear, anger, depression, occasional nausea brought on by fear, anger and depression. Sometimes there are chills and shortness of breath, a tightness around the heart. Mornings are the worst. America wakes up dreading what might appear on the computer screen, or on TV. Did the president go on a twitter rant again? How out of control was he this time? What world leader has he insulted? Those pre-dawn hours, even on weekends, are when he seems to unravel the most. And then there is the later time slot when Sean Spicer informs the press and all of us what new executive orders Donald Trump has signed. Nothing seems immune to Mr. Trump’s need for demolition, even national monuments which have been protected for generations. Our already wounded planet may never survive this administration. At night, America lies awake frightened of the future. What will happen to us? What will happen to our children?
America’s pre-existing condition can best be diagnosed as stress. As any doctor can tell you, stress overloads the system, causes the body to go haywire in many different ways. It can cause heart attacks, strokes, immune deficiencies; stress can even lead to early death if not treated.
Sadly, America can’t get any help for this condition. Typically, in years past, we would look to the leaders of the country to comfort us, reassure us, calm our fears and embolden our confidence in the future. They were our hospital. Those at the top levels of government were there to take care of the country in times of crisis, and we turned to them with an assumption that they would do just that. But we are now in a continual state of crisis. We have an administration that drinks up drama and spits it out across the land; we have a president who can’t help but create crises on a weekly basis. A president whose closest aids are his completely unqualified family members and a vice-president who fawns so much over the man who outranks him, it makes our collective nausea worse. We have a cadre of wealthy white men who grin and pose for cameras after they rammed a bill through Congress that will abandon the poor, the ill, the elderly, women everywhere, and will reward the rich.
No one will insure America in her time of crisis. We stand alone in our misery, increasingly isolated by a puzzled world which is also weighed down by fears of what will come next from this administration. There is no hospital, no medical team that can heal our symptoms while the cause of those symptoms has power over us. We need a miracle. We need to reach deep into our collective soul and remember who America is, who America is supposed to be. We are supposed to be a leader in the world, not an embarrassment. We are supposed to be strong, not rude and bullying and shockingly ignorant. When illness strikes, miraculous healing can sometimes come from an upsurge of faith — faith in a power beyond conventional medicine, faith in the determination of the human spirit to not be broken or defeated. Miracles are the manifestation of a decision — the decision to believe that they are possible. In these health-challenged times, will we remember who we are, and where the moral high ground is, or will we be eroded by an administration that sees destructiveness as an emblem of power?
Frederick Douglass, who President Trump apparently thought was still around, said, “A battle lost or won is easily described, understood and appreciated, but the moral growth of a great nation requires reflection, as well as observation, to appreciate it.”
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post, Patti. You said exactly what I have thinking. With no leaders to guide and comfort us, we live in very frightening times.
Beautifully said, Patti.
The psyche of San Fransisco to San Jose changed before and after the Silicon Valley boon. We can do anything from CEO to packers mentality. Police had little to do because gang members were all working. I worked the before and after it was like a renewal of spirit people collaberating that had little in common for excellent finished product. It was something to feel let alone to see. Yes, there is aways division but it’s a small hurdle when there is a goal. That is what leaders can do, some are very good at it and some are not.
Brilliantly stated with reason, intelligence and true compassion. Thank you, Patti. We all must stay strong together.
I’m tempted to strike a chord for American healthcare here, but no, I would rather take the time to embrace your considerable and lyrical notes with a calling, Patti. I’ve told you this before, but now is the appropriate time to invest in the full symphony of affirmation. You have such a beautiful way of putting words and thoughts to sheet music, all with a metronomic pulse, and each time I read your opinions, I join you, wanting to galvanize a new force for change. I suffer from that very pre-existing condition, although I’m keenly aware that the Trump Bill is fully prepared to deny coverage for all that ails me, no matter the pain and suffering I am beginning to convulse from. There is no better medicine than yours, which means that no one can express our collective disease with such concern, and with such an honest approach. Thank you, PD, for helping me fully understand why my suffering is so painfully horrific. All of us can benefit from the comfort of your vast understanding. As you pointed out, no one is immune, and that includes Trump and his children from a lesser God. When he begins to suffer, please deny him his selfish quest for absolution; he’ll never appreciate it, and those who will, number in the millions.
Amazing, but not unexpected detail and truth, thank Patty for nailing once again, be well, Peace!
I agree with all stated so well…my only concern is that the people that voted for this chaos…they would do it again…how do we reach them? They are not reading your words, as eloquent as they are… can we figure out HOW to reach them without insulting them? It isn’t easy granted but it has to be done if we want change…
So, so very true and I’m a Canadian. I just can’t believe why so many people voted for him. I hope the world can survive this. How much longer can he last before the powers that be wake up and get him out of the Whitehouse? Surely someone can get rid of him.
Elaine in BC Canada