Trumpifying the World

As much as former US President Trump can be congratulated for winning a second term in office, I have to also give credit to outgoing US Vice-President Kamala Harris.

In only 100 days, Vice-President Kamala Harris has managed to do something really incredible. She almost became president.

Imagine what she could have achieved with a longer campaign. Imagine what she could have achieved in office.

Maybe the truth of the US economy has been lost somewhere in the hustings, but my Intel was, that it was pretty good under outgoing President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris. There was less to complain about, than during Trump's first term in office. And remember, he was publicly fired by over 81 million voters.

As an Australian, I wonder how someone with a criminal history could become the US President. How is it not written, into the American constitution, that the US President needs to have no criminal history?

But then again, I'm wondering about a country that holds it's right to bear arms very seriously. I feel safe here, with less guns per person, than there. Gun-owners and lobbyists seem to have twisted the original premise of gun ownership (to protect America from external forces during times of war), to owning guns just because they want to. I could be wrong, but am I?

I just feel like gun manufacturers and distributors have a lot of hooks in many millions of Americans. If you cause fear, you create demand for your product.

As much as our politicians talk about us having shared values (democracy), I'm unsure that we actually do.

Because of the way politics work, in both countries, democracy is still only an ideal. Personally, I don't think we've achieved it, because there are so many people whose vote is not equal to others with more money and opportunity.

I can't predict what will happen when Trump starts his second term, but I can say that we now live in a rapidly changing world. There are people close to me who are already so heartbroken that they can't speak about this most recent election. They are terrified of the future.

In one week, the USA has given me a new client base, of people who were not anxious before, but are now.

As if the world needed more mental health problems.

That saddens me. I have gone into psychology because I want to help people deal with their fears and disappointments. I want there to be less mental ill-health, not more.

So, what can be done? We can encourage each other to do our best and achieve our dreams, to be kind and patient, to seek news that is not sensationalist or fear-inducing. We can encourage hope in individuals, families, schools, workplaces, and communities. We can ensure all children are safe, and feel safe. We can look for politicians who seek solutions and find ways to implement them (without bad-mouthing anyone in the process).

In short, we can be the change we seek. My dear mum used to say a phrase, nil illegitium carborundum, which she said was Latin. I think she got it from a nun! A look on the Web, shows that my Mum's advice was "mock Latin". Mum used to say that it meant, "Don't let the b*stards get you down", but Wikipedia has an interesting and timely take on it! Don't let the outlaws grind you down!

If VP Kamala Harris could get so close in only 100 days, imagine what we could do. Don't give up. Just keep trying.