The Harried Mystic

What parent, with even a modicum of nurturing skill, hasn’t placed limits on their young children, imposing guardrails designed to protect them from themselves. We tell them repeatedly to “ be careful” and “watch out”. It’s not safe to put one’s fingers in an active electric socket, touch a hot stove, play with matches, put small objects in their mouths, walk barefoot on the street, or cross the road without being accompanied and instructed to look both ways.

Unfortunately, the chief executive of our Nation is prone to toddler-like tantrums and brazen acts lacking in even the appearance of genuine leadership thought or consultation. He is seemingly untethered by even modest checks on his impulsiveness. What is especially unnerving is that he is in command of the so called “ nuclear football”. Without astute advisors prepared to challenge and offer experienced counterpoint to his emotionally colored whims, the transition to a new administration becomes exponentially more perilous.

There is talk that Trump may yet try pardoning himself while giving pardons out like candy to “ reward” his most loyal co-conspirators. The behavior we witness is frankly reminiscent of unparented, feral toddlers running wildly about brandishing sharp objects. It has been a “ Lord of the Flies” scenario on display in the Whitehouse for the last four years. Asking “ where are the adults and protectors of our National well-being?” is one many have asked since 2016.

In a clearly vengeful and hysterical frenzy predictably brought on after being soundly defeated in the election, Mr Trump rushes to pull troops out of Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia, sell arctic oil leases, rush completion of his vanity border wall that was frankly not Congressionally funded, and contemplate an attack on Iran to impede their nuclear program. [On the latter item, he of course was the one who tore up the nuclear accord with Iran in 2018. ]

These are only the beginning of what’s in store for us all over the two months remaining before he is thankfully out of office. Arguably, any one of these actions could well be strategically sound in a more thoughtful and well reasoned context, but not when enacted impulsively.

At the very least, we need to coordinate with Allies on a number of these decisions. It is an axiom of good leadership that all action must be considered against the backdrop of potential unintended consequences. In other words, governing and acting, especially on the global stage, requires thought, deliberation, consultation, real dialogue designed to test assumptions and strategy. None of these have been qualities of the current administration since the outset.

So, here continues “Mr Toad’s Wild Ride” as perpetrated by an immature, inexperienced and unhinged Chief executive. But, “ leader” McConnell and other senior Republican “leaders” ought to know better. Shamefully, all they can come up with is tepid cautionary comments tantamount to telling a toddler about to fall from a great height “ you might want to reconsider what you’re doing,” if that. No! You say STOP!

In the bizarro world of Trumpism, running in the hallways of democracy with sharp scissors is simply normative. Republican leaders look the other way as troops are unilaterally brought home. The validity of compelling results of a fair election are assaulted with so many nonsensical and even clownish lawsuits, and conspiracy narratives are wildly stoked and reinforced. All of this amounts to an abject failure of elected leadership to protect a smooth and secure transition of power central to the well-being of our Republic.

We are unquestionably living through the age of the unhinged toddler, the “enfant terrible, ” and the reign of empaneled sociopaths. It is a clarion call to all of us for a collective spiritual reassessment of what it means to serve one another for the betterment of the world.

These events present the moral challenge to reassert the primacy of love, reaffirm civil norms and demand authentic leadership that is about the good of the Union as a whole. The spiritual mandate for our times is restoration of the architecture of lawful, collaborative and strategic dialogue. Yes, we each are our “ brother’s keeper.”

At this point, I for one just want to see a return to governing by adults, for adults, with genuine regard for building up the culture in which our children can once again come to admire real leadership and courage.

We need the examples of dedicated and accountable service that inspire us all to become the very best versions of ourselves.

© The Harried Mystic, 2020 and Br. Anton, TSSF. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.