WE ARE A NATION SUFFERING FROM DYSFUNCTIONAL GRIEF

DO YOU THINK YOU KNOW THE "GOLDEN RULE?"

Below is one translation of the full verses from Leviticus where the "Golden Rule" originates from.

Most of us are only aware of the last portion of the verse. "...love your neighbor as yourself." However, the beginning is an essential lead up. 

LEVITICUS:
Verse 17
You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your fellow, but you shall not bear a sin on his account.   יזלֹֽא־תִשְׂנָ֥א אֶת־אָחִ֖יךָ בִּלְבָבֶ֑ךָ הוֹכֵ֤חַ תּוֹכִ֨יחַ֙ אֶת־עֲמִיתֶ֔ךָ וְלֹֽא־תִשָּׂ֥א עָלָ֖יו חֵֽטְא:

Verse 18
You shall neither take revenge from nor bear a grudge against the members of your people; you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
יחלֹֽא־תִקֹּ֤ם וְלֹֽא־תִטֹּר֙ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י עַמֶּ֔ךָ וְאָֽהַבְתָּ֥ לְרֵֽעֲךָ֖ כָּמ֑וֹךָ אֲנִ֖י יְהוָֹֽה:

Have some taken hate for President Trump "into their heart" and nurtured a grudge?

When we hate our fellow in our heart and nurture a grudge, that hate leads to a powerful anger.  When that happens it can cause us to take sin upon ourselves and to seek revenge.

IMPORTANT: Before I go any further, I want to preface what I am about to say. This article is NOT intended to vilify or defend anyone.  I am trying to offer an a non-political paradigm for seeing matters.  I respectfully ask readers to suspend judgment of the character and actions of the my subject's people and parties.

In my opinion the underlying source of the hate in America today is the result of dysfunctional processing of the "GRIEF" over Hillary's "loss" in the 2016 Presidential election. Let me explain.

The night Hillary lost the 2016 Presidential election, for many Americans it was as though they suffered a death. Trump killed Hillary, metaphorically speaking.  The fact that Hillary didn't come out for a concession speech the night she lost was ironically very fitting.

When people see Hillary today, it is profoundly like seeing a ghost.  

Art & Culture have a particular nature of capturing public sentiments. During Saturday Night Live’s cold open the week of the election, SNL featured a surprising departure from the show’s typical humor about the presidential race. In character as Hillary Clinton, Kate McCinnon performed a mournful rendition of “Hallelujah.”
(Note: Leonard Cohen had passed that week so there was already a sence of grief and morning in the air.)

Adding insult to injury, Trump supporters celebrate the loss of Hillary. The deplorables applaud him for killing her right to be President. When Trump supporters speak of "winning," Hillary supporters take it profoundly personally.

Grieving is a psychological process with several stages. Shock > Denial > Anger > Acceptance.

A psychological problem comes about when one gets stuck at any stage in the grieving process.

Grief begins with shock. Hillary supporters and the media couldn't believe Hillary lost the Presidential election. It was like getting heart piercing news of a fatal car crash involving someone dear. Hillary's supporters entered the first stage of grief - shock.

Shortly after that the mourners (Hillary supporters) moved to the second stage of the grieving process. They went from shock to denial.  That's when we heard "not my president" and so many citizens became "never Trumpers."

After denial grief moves to anger. Heaven knows that happened.  Americans were outraged. The attitude was that Trump must have stolen the election. Russia must have helped him! That happened nearly three years ago. America has been stuck there ever since.

So many Hillary supporters have not moved past anger to acceptance - the last stage.  They are stuck at anger.

That anger has been perpetuated and fostered by Hollywood stars, celebrity entertainers, the media and news, politicians, the Party and Deep State actors like Comey and others.  That anger has festered and morphed into full blown hate - a hate that is deep in the heart.

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There is a ton of material regarding the ways people cope with hate. Check out this paper on Understanding and Overcoming Hate. 

"Denial is a defense mechanism frequently employed by the mind to cope with painful, uncomfortable, or embarrassing aspects of our psyche."

Side note: All media and politicians exploit emotion. That is the nature of what they do!   

WHO CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE?

THE SITUATION  IS QUICKLY  BECOMING UNSUSTAINABLE.

The trajectory of hate directed at all things Trump is increasing in frequency, volume and directness.

CAN THE LEFT MAKE IT LAST OR WILL AMERICA BLOW BEFORE NOVEMBER 2020?

The biased vitriol against all things Trump being directed at the American mind may overwhelm our Nation BEFORE the 2020 election.  It could be said that America is going to have a premature eruption.

The density and intensity of this divisive narrative is on a trajectory which is leading the USa to an unsustainable state.  The pressure in America is building up like a balloon that is over inflated.

Are Americans going to blame Trump for that? Or will they recognize that the mainstream media and candidates who are twisting every word and every intention of Trump in order to win the 2020 election are the cause?

IF there is a "premature eruption" and if the general sense is that the blame rests LESS with Trump's ACTUAL intentions and actions and MORE with how the LEFT presented the situation, what are the consequences for the 2020 Election?

THAT IS A VERY BIG "IF." But it is NOT far fetched.

FURTHERMORE . . .
What if there is some new significant element of information which shatters the narrative of either the Left or the Right?  For example a recession would deeply damage Trump's narrative. Which is why many on the Left are talking that possibility up.  And why Trump is so anxious for a Fed rate cut.

Do you HOPE for a recession? Or do want America to be more prosperous? 

By the same token, if substantial evidence which could not be ignored showed that the Obama Administration and the Deep State conspired to commit the crime of Sedition and that the mainstream media was complicit by ignoring the story for 3 years while pushing a hoax, wouldn't that change the perception of many Democrats?

We will have to wait and see to find out what is actually going to happen.

There is more in play than some are willing to believe.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST IS THE QUESTION OF LASTING POWER.
This may be a large factor . . .

What is the capacity of each side, Left and Right to cope with the stresses of both their own and the opposing narrative?

On this point I could argue that the Right is having more fun and more laughs. Don't get me wrong - there are plenty on the Right who are disturbed. But you can not help notice the joy and jubilation at Trump rallies. And let's face it, scenes of the Radical Left literally howling and breaking down or having absurd and extreme emotional outbursts is all too common.

To put it simply --- Fox hosts are having way more fun that CNN or MSN hosts!

THE BIGGEST QUESTION IN AMERICAN POLITICAL HISTORY

All through the Presidental campaign the massive crowds at Trump rallies would chant "Lock her up."  But once Trump won and took office he turned the other cheek and seemed willing to move on without seeking vengeance for the good of the country. But the Clinton's and the Deep State were determined to pursue "Plan B."

Not since the first conspiracy to kill George Washington in order to stop the American Revolution have we had a case of crimes against America that were so high.

The biggest question in American political history is about to be answered. Let me explain.

The attacks against Trump by the Left, including the media, are as loud and angry as ever. They are fueled by evil forces. Those evil forces are scared because the crimes under investigations are about to be prosecuted.

During the Presidential campaign, when candidate Trump said he was being "spied on." The reaction in the media and by many others was that he was crazy.

Today, it is accepted that Trump was correct. AG Barr said during Congressional testimony.  "There was spying." That is a watershed moment which changed the paradigm.

Trump has been going on repeatedly for YEARS against Hillary, the DNC and others for pursuing a "witch hunt" while ignoring "real Russian collusion" via the fake Steel dossier that was constructed with Russian supplied false accusations.

The Media ignored those accusations too. They treated Trump's accusations as more crazy talk. They mocked him mercilessly. That is until the Mueller investigation and report proved Trump correct again. The Mueller investigation found no Collusion by Trump with Russia in order to effect the Presidential campaign.

AG Barr has made it his mission to get to the bottom of how the Mueller investigation even began. By the time he is through we will know whether the FISA court process was abused by Comey who sought permission to spy on American citizens.

Trump provided AG Barr access to classified documents to help his investigation. Trump ordered that EVERYTHING Barr needed be available. The FBI, CIA and other Federal Agencies were ordered by Barr to fully cooperate with investigations.

As a result of tireless efforts by Judicial Watch, Rep. Nunes when he headed the House Judiciary  Committee and others, signficant evidence which supports Trump's claims has surfaced since the Mueller investigation wrapped up.

AG Barr appointed a tough and tested US Attorney, John Dunham to help him and the Inspector General Horowitz with investigations. These investigations can lead to prosecutions, whereas Congress does not have judicial powers.

ELEVATED CLAIMS:
While we wait for Barr and Dunham to reveal their findings, deeply damming evidence surfaces nearly weekly.  The legality of the entire dossier and FISA Court applications are called into question.

No Collusion is one thing but a hoax is another.  The stakes are much higher.

For nearly a year Trump has said what happened to him was conspiracy to commit "sedition," possibly even the higher crime of treason if Russia was involved directly with USA persons.

The Left and mainstream media continue to ignore the seriousness of Trump's accusations. 

In addition to saying there was spying, AG Barr said during his congressional testimony that the crucial question that he needed to get the answer to is this: "Was the spying predicated."

There is an equally serious question which AG Barr, US Attorney Dunham and Senator Lindsey Graham are going to answer soon. It is the biggest question in American political history:

Was there a plot to spy on the Trump campaign by Hillary Clinton the DNC, aided by the DOJ, the FBI, the CIA and Obama Administration in order to stop candidate Trump and remove President Trump?  (The infamous "Plan B.")

If the answer to this questions is "yes," it is fair to say the following:

1. This represents the greatest crimes against America in history.

2. The mainstream media and even Democrats in Congress were complicit by ignoring this story. By doing so they allowed it to happen.

3. As President Trump has repeatedly said, "We must never allow this to happen to another President EVER AGAIN."

4. If and when AG Barr holds a press conference to disclose the findings of the findings of his active investigations, Barr reveals that indictments for such crimes are being unsealed, the revelations will be BOMBSHELLS THAT WILL ROCK THE WORLD.

Maybe that day I won't need to say . . .

THE HYPOCRISY IS GREATER THAN THE TRUTH.

AMERICA NEEDS MR. ROGERS

America needs Mr. Rogers. We don't need the hate. We are all to blame for the blame. It doesn't matter that you "know" you're right or that I "know" I am right. America doesn't win unless we all win. That is how society moves forward and improves rather than swinging back and forth from Left to Right. Partisanship is the enemy. Ego is the enemy. Emotionally biased reasoning is the enemy.

Humans decide emotionally and justify their choice with logically reasoning. Deep down we all have an inner lawyer who is going to win our emotionally biased intuitive response, whether we are correct or not. In this respect you can presume that we are all guilty, because we all do it. It is what makes us human.

We ALL grew up human. There are very few people who rise above our evolutionary design. Perhaps there are those people have "reincarnated" or are more "evolved." Some are profoundly fortunate to have our paths touched by such an individual - a healer, a prophet, wise spiritual leader. One like Moses or Jesus or Buddha.

Democrats and Republicans are locked into the truth they believe. It's so hard to let it go! And once we put the debate in the context of politics with the high stakes of power & money agenda, the lying and cheating is inevitable.

Neither the Left or the Right will reason their way out of their position. The mainstream media isn't going to help America heal - unless it's in their interests and its not. The only hope is sympathy or empathy. The only hope is the reason God gave us love & kindness, humility and grace. But we need a healer and spirit guide to help us along the way - someone we are willing to trust and open our heart to. Someone such as Mr. Rogers.

WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR.

P.S. PLEASE READ THIS OTHER BLOG POST.

https://youtu.be/-VLEPhfEN2M

IT IS TOO EASY TO BLAME TRUMP.

It is too simplistic to blame Trump for the Texas and Ohio mass shootings. There were 14 mass shootings during the Obama's years before Trump.

Some of you want to blame guns. Which is not say we don't need stricter gun laws. But guns, powerful guns, have been around for a LONG LONG time and it has gotten HARDER to get guns, not easier. Plus gun ownership rates have gone down, not up in America.

There is something deeper and more troubling taking place in society.  Simply blaming Trump doesn't solve the problem, it may even perpetuate it.

Have you heard of Jonathan Haidt? He is a prominent social psychologist with fascinating observations about trends that began around 2011-2013 in the USA. 

I believe there is a connection between the mass shootings and the phenomenon J.Haidt writes about.

Haidt has a few books out which I have just started, motivated in part by recent events.  But you can catch interviews and speeches of him on YouTude. Here is a link to one he did with Bill Maher.  

One of Haidt's books is called "The Righteous Mind - Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion." The other is called "The Coddling of the American Mind - How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure."

Haidt shows what each side is right about, and why we need the insights of liberals, conservatives, and libertarians to flourish as a nation.

By the way, in my opinion, he makes a case for the problems of Partisanship that George Washington warned us about in his Farewell Letter.  This subject is a central common theme of my posts.  I strongly believe that our government has become dysfunctional because we have become terribly unsympathetic and are losing the willingness to compromise and work together for the "greater good."  This goes hand-in-hand with declining attitudes about God and American Excellence.

Haidt also makes a case that intolerance of opposing viewpoints has left many young people anxious and unprepared for adult life, with devastating consequences for them, for their parents, for the companies that will soon hire them, and for a democracy that is already pushed to the brink of VIOLENCE over its growing political divisions.

Haidt is speaking of the generation which includes the two recent shooters - age 24 in Ohio and age 21 in El Paso.

There is something big going on. One of the reasons I defend Trump is because I think we are fooling ourselves when we think he IS the cause of so many of the problems. One can make a case for why he is contributing to the problem. By the same token one can make a case that he is contributing to the solution.

Blaming Trump is too easy.  The issues run much deeper!  Haidt and other prominent psychologists and sociologists, like Jordan Peterson are making important observations and we need to listen to them.

This is not to say that unacceptably easy access to powerful weapons isn't a needed change. As much as I am a deep supporter of the 2nd Amendment, I believe changes are woefully needed that would help prevent guns from getting into the hands of violent or disturbed young males, black and white.

IMPORTANT CONCLUSION!
What's the answer?  Well, unfortunately it won't help for me to tell you.  It only works if you figure it out for yourself. But I will leave you with this interview with John Haidt on Ted Talks. Try to watch this. 

P.S. PLEASE READ - America  Needs Mr. Rogers.