(Why) I Don’t Want To Talk About It.

 I cringe at the mention of the name of the president and at reminders of the current situation in the government of our beloved country. More than cringe, I am physically affected by it, frightened and disgusted. America is sick and my reaction is as if it were contagious: visceral, deeply emotional. My avoidance is like a breathing mask in a diseased atmosphere.

Our country’s heritage from the beginning is democratic, explicitly anti-monarchical, non-dictatorial. For two and a half centuries we have been the world’s example of a functional liberal democracy. Recently, however, we have become argumentative, unwilling to compromise. Traditionally stabilizing forces, civic consciousness, educational institutions, even religious organizations have failed to foster a spirit of community among us. The American people, informed now only by an omnipresent, polarized media industry –  which profits by pandering to the resentments and stoking the fears of the public – seem to believe that liberal democracy is hopeless. Thus have a majority of us elected a leader whose strongman identity seems to offer stability, a firm hand on the tiller of the ship of state, his defiance of democratic tradition and his tawdry personal background notwithstanding.

The argument between “liberals” and “conservatives” celebrated by the media and fueled by the contagious attraction of negativity, anger and resentment, pervades American society. No one is neutral, willing to see both sides. Arguing has pushed policy and attitudes to revolting extremes and there is no centralizing voice, no conciliatory leadership, no willingness to make concessions, no courageous  voice to inspire hope. People in positions of leadership are mostly celebrity-seeking power dealers who cater to an audience of angry devotees.

I believe that if there is nothing I can do about something personally, if there is no solution that I can bring about, that the situation is ipso-facto not my problem. If I myself am powerless to resolve a dilemma or a conflict, it must cease to be of concern to me. To discuss, to lament and to complain does nothing except to share my negative emotions, to create and share bonds of negativity.  Anger and bitterness are worthless unless they inspire positive action, the will to find solutions. I don’t see how I can make a difference in this national predicament by sharing my dismay. That’s why I don’t want to talk about it.

The goal of the enlightened human being is to work for the benefit of all, to make the world a better place for our having existed in it. I can help my country and the world by sharing my experience, strength and hope, by engaging in local civic matters, by helping charitable organizations and by exemplifying love, compassion and positive attitude in my talk and behavior. That’s what I want to talk about. Where shall we begin?