Hope in Interesting Times

​Most likely many of you know the Chinese saying, also considered a curse: May you live in interesting times. Well, no doubt the Chinese and others are happy to see how interesting the times have now become for us Americans under second-time President Donald J. Trump. Unlike during his first Presidency, where his professional staff often kept him from realizing his worst ideas, this time the professional staff members are gone, replaced by amateurs with sometimes no experience in the areas in which they are serving but with unquestioned loyalty to POTUS. Moreover, this time around, both Houses of Congress and the Supreme Court are in Republican hands. It’s like Holland without dikes. Meanwhile the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, who helped Donald Trump win the November 2024 Presidential election with donations approaching $300 million has been given free rein to slice and sometimes as in the case of USAID kill federal programs and agencies in the name of ridding the government of waste and fraud while intending to save it and the American people some $3 trillion. Now all fair-minded Americans will admit that no government is perfect. Most likely every program and agency could be slimmer and more efficient. But as many have pointed out, the brilliant immigrant from South Africa in his first two months as President Trump’s righthand man is using a wrecking ball, not a scalpel, and doing his work at warp speed. And like a fanatic driver in a top-of-the-line Tesla, he is going at speeds beyond the capacity of the roads he’s on. The result: many Americans, including some of Mr. Trump’s own voters, are beginning to see results that are the opposite of what they had hoped for...

​How can one be hopeful in such an environment? How indeed! On a personal level, I remember the concepts of Karma and mystery. As the saying goes, if you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind. The law of cause and effect in the end will apply as it always does. If you spit in that same strong wind, there is every chance that you’ll get wet. Of course there will likely be plenty of destruction along the way. The Trump Administration for example does not believe in the reality of climate change. So they are getting rid of programs and regulations meant to slow such negative changes down. I fully expect to see nature reacting with more climate-based natural disasters: floods, wildfires, and the like. Moreover, as a narcissist, the President may eventually tire of having to share the public spotlight with Mr. Musk. Also, when Mr. Trump’s beloved tariffs begin to backfire and cause prices not to fall but to raise, even his base may begin to desert him. As for mystery, I am reminded of the emergence of an ex-prisoner who became South Africa’s president and, miraculously as it seemed, ridded the country of the long-time ingrained practice of Apartheid. Similarly, the seemingly intractable Troubles in Ireland inexplicably after decades if not centuries became a thing of the past. And, as we’ll all recall, one day the Dark Ages were over, replaced by the Renaissance. Now how did these things happen? On a personal level, I’m staying closer than ever to my spiritual and religious practices, including the difficult one of praying daily for Donald Trump and company. Finally, I find the Buddhist saying, applied to the present situation, a helpful source of hope: Before Trump, chop wood and carry water. After Trump, chop wood and carry water. May we all come through these interesting times intact.