Just finished reading Into the Wild with a granddaughter and then watched the movie. Discussion today. It is a well known story about a young man post college who has a beef with his dad, a legit one, and takes off to discover the world, its truth and beauty. So cross country he goes, meeting people he never would have had he stayed in the usual path, had experiences which strengthened his belief that beauty was in nature, truth as well. He idolized Jack London and Thoreau and even as he became a welcome guest with some people or a valued worker, he lectured them also on his beliefs and encouraged them to search the world, change their lives.
Like all kids his age he just knew the truth and that was the value he wanted most, the one true value. He did not need people he felt, only the glory of Nature. Finally he was off to the main goal - the wilds of Alaska. Not taking advice from anyone for he knew it all, off he went into the wild and there he dies as Nature played tricks on him. He finally died of starvation and poisoning as he finally realized that he indeed needed his family who had no clue as to where he was for two years and people need to be with other people, need to share their lives with others. A book well worth reading and a lesson well earned and learned.
It is one we all need to learn, including my two most favorite presidents. One cannot go it alone in this world and when one tries it becomes a bitter world and no triumph is worth that loneliness and that growing bitterness as it becomes evident that most people do not value that, do not truly value you. So much for one's life.
Why begin with David? Because I believe he is greatly reminiscent of the lessons of this book and he is greatly enamored of the Trump way, the bitter, nasty, shouting, demeaning paths of life that he takes and uses. True, it is in a comparatively small arena, but he loves that big fish in a small pond life and holds himself aloof from the other denizens of that pond unless they service his needs and are dropped when he is done with them. It is truly a shame for he turns away valuable advice and ideas from others with years and years of experience but the greatest tragedy of all is the harm done to the Village.
But the bigger picture. Sorry, folks. I have said it before and say it again along with the growing numbers of people who are also saying it and they play much bigger roles in the life of the nation than I do. The man is nuts, unbalanced, mean and vicious and definitely not normal. He is a categorical liar and lies as easily as he breathes, lies in the face of all proof, of pictures and statements and recordings. He denies the hate filled bigotry he expressed about Charlottesville, denies even that he looked into the eclipse without glasses. Who cares if he is an idiot that way so why lie about it. There is a picture of that very same act!!
But far worse is the division he has strengthened in this country, encouraged. What is worse is that he has introduced the military in great numbers into the civilian part of government, into the executive branch. Ironic that they are calming him down, even chiding him for Charlottesville and the transgender announcement re the armed forces.
But he argues with the world, cussing out his own party members should they disagree with him or think otherwise. He threatens them and is now basically at war with McConnell. Not my favorite character but what the hell!!! Adding salt to the wounds he has given the nation, he says he will pardon that racist Arpaio who just loves to pick on anyone with brown skin or who looks like an illegal immigrant, never mind if they are or not, have committed a crime or not. Their crime is being or looking Latino or Hispanic. That is a bad precedent, folks, bad indeed. Jews know that. Armenians know that. Tutsis know that. And even Sunni and Shiite know it from one to the other. Native Americans know it. It is wrong and hateful and just plain ugly but there he is promising to pardon a huge racist.
He threatens a shut down of the government if people do not give him his goddamned wall. He will allow the government to default on our loans and woe upon us if that happens. He will shut it all down so no government checks or services. Just his oily and hateful attitude and the continued damage he is doing to this nation and the world. Only the regulations that protect us as they disappear one by one so back to bad waterways, back to chemical poisoning of neighborhoods, back to the despoiling of Nature.
Blame the press. Damage the trust that we need to live in complex world. Just keep on doing it. Yet we have hope that he will either leave as a sore loser or by force and legalities. 67 former State Attorneys General have signed a statement bluntly condemning hatred and bias and referred to another brave one who said it in a pithy manner back in 1976. “Dear ‘Dr.’ Fields,” he wrote. “My response to your letter of February 19, 1976, is — kiss my a**.” And he continued to reiterate these feelings today in our backwards world.
Protest will continue though I must say when I looked at pictures of the protest in Phoenix I saw them standing holding signs and all of a sudden there was a cloud of what turned out to be gas and pepper spray or canisters of it and why? Are we turning into Selma? Are we turning into dictatorial countries where freedom to protest is ruthlessly quashed?
The pith of the truth is that we are on a dangerous road. The pith of the truth is that we are stepping onto rumbling cliff edges both here in the country and around the world. The pith of the truth is that the fighting in the streets has begun and no, these protestors are not actors hired off Craig's List. I could not believe that when a formerly intelligent friend said that!! Truly!!
The pith of the truth is that we are our own worst enemy and we must come to our senses. One good point, when some idiot chastised Barron for wearing shorts on Air Force One, Chelsea Clinton shut him down. Melania said thank you and here we go --Chelsea for President!!
No comments:
Post a Comment