That character asks of himself, "Who am I?" and comes to the conclusion that he is who he is, what he makes of himself, that while society certainly has a role in our composition, ultimately we are who we are, who and what we make of ourselves. The burden of morality, of responsibility comes to rest on our shoulders. When his nemesis, Jauvert, realizes this, he despairs and kills himself.
This is a time when we must all ask ourselves that same question and examine the results. We must ask of ourselves deep and insightful questions and come up with truthful, perhaps hurtful answers. I asked that we ask ourselves those questions, to look inside ourselves yesterday and often enough in other postings, and see if we cared for the results.
It boggles my mind how blind and antagonistic people have become. There has developed an aura of bitterness, a sourness to people. No longer do we have that cheerful and rosy optimism which separated Americans from the rest of the world. We had a New World view and stood out from the Old World tiredness and hopelessness. But no more. And why is that?
Perhaps we have become too entitled and when that entitlement does not become fully fulfilled, then we resent that and look to blame someone, something, some idea. We look to someone, anyone, who promises us that he/she alone can and will restore that entitlement. We look away from the undertones, from the nastiness that accompanies this person, from the extremists who support him, and we only see someone who will carry our flag. But he doesn't.
We refuse to see that the true colors of this person's flag are not our colors at all. We refuse to see that this person actually cooperated with our enemies in order to gain position, We refuse to see that this person is a demagogue. We refuse to see that the morals of this person are nonexistent. We refuse to see that there is a lack of intelligence and finesse, here, only the crudity of a street fighter who never really had to fight in the streets but always had others to send into the fray for him.
So we rant about emails from the opponent but look away or excuse treasonous behavior, comporting with the enemy. We look away at his vulgarity, his use of name calling , like an infant in his behavior and forget that we would never allow that in one we do not favor. We forget that there has always been a tradition, an irreverent attitude here, towards all our politicians. We have caricaturized them, satirized them, for this is America, and we have even abused them verbally and always they have taken it, knowing from whence it comes and came - the traditions of a proud country, a proud people, who had the courage to throw off the restraints of a demagogue mother country and become an independent country, a country which stood up for right, which took on the older nations of the world and came out ahead and even taught them a few things, a country which became a leader of the world, to whom other countries looked towards for help, for guidance, for leadership and yes, even for morality. But what happened?
Well, we now have a presumed leader whose very leadership of position can be questioned. Does an election won via interference by a foreign country count as being valid, especially as that country is our foe. This country played the populace quite well. Mazel tov to them and woe upon us as we have become a puppet state of Russia.
This leader cannot take what he dishes out. He gets vengeful and ultra nasty if called to answer, if insulted in any self perceived way. Who resorts to the behaviorisms of an adolescent who is a blowhard, an entitled spoiled brat with not much between his ears other than ego, yet somehow he has convinced others to vote for him, to fawn upon him and to excuse all that he does and when one knows that he truly is wrong - they back away, literally and figuratively from acknowledging that and that is the reason why all these Trumpers will not debate, will not allow themselves to be called to task for what they have perpetrated upon our country - upon themselves.
So we now have a Tweeter, a man with a very limited vocabulary, a man of physical gestures of making circles with his fingers, sniffing loudly through his nose, a wad of orange hair, just a base person, who sends out his minions when he decides his dignity has been abused. So his press secretary to be says or rather whines that Trump is not treated with respect. Well, guess what? In order to gain respect one must earn it and one must give it as well, to others. That is a lesson every teacher knows from nursery to post graduate! Why does he not? And I, for one - actually for one of many - will not tiptoe around him. Never!
Ask yourself these questions and wait for your honest answers, hurtful though they might be. If asked who you are, and you answer with a name of a religion, then delve deeply into those religious beliefs and see if they support what we now have, the sentiments and the statements, the behavior and the deeds. If you describe yourself with a nationality, then ask yourself what does that nation stand for, what does it mean to be that nationality and what responsibilities devolve upon you as a result. And are you proud to acknowledge "Who AM I?" when all is said and done.
At the Golden Globes we had an actor of dignity and courage who said it all, stood up to the disgrace who is now to be our president , G-d help us. I am just waiting for the return on that brave statement, the threats, the ugliness, the infantile remarks. When Meryl Streep was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille award, she spoke and here is part of what she said. Her courage, her dignity - we should all aspire to reach that level.
"When Trump was shown apparently mocking a disabled reporter: "There was nothing good about it, but it did its job," she said. "It kind of broke my heart when I saw it, and I still can't get it out my head because it wasn't in a movie, it was in real life. That instinct to humiliate when it's modeled by someone in a public platform, it filters down into everyone's life because it gives permission for others to do the same. ... Disrespect invites disrespect. Violence incites violence. When the powerful use their position to bully others we all lose."
Who am I? Who are you? Who are we? And whom do we wish to be? May G-d have mercy upon all of us for we surely will need it.
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