Trump’s 2024 win might be just what America needs.
Yes, I know that statement is problematic.
And no, I have not turned MAGA!
I’m talking about what happens through opposition. Veering towards what we are not can have one of two conclusions: 1) it could be disastrous, or 2) it can quickly remind us of who we are. I am cautiously holding out for the latter here. Please allow me to explain. . .
It’s been nearly a decade since Donald Trump descended that infamous golden staircase to announce his bid for president. Never mind that the first crowd of “thousands” he drew that day was more like a couple dozen and that they were apparently paid $50 a piece to attend the event. The point is that we have now endured nearly ten steady years of Trump-ism. That is TEN painful years of daily verbal diarrhea, sane-washed headlines and nonstop regressive policy. I am reluctant as hell to be one more person repeating the man’s name, but good old Donald just won’t be ignored. And I’d venture to say he was reelected for one very good reason:
Trump is a reflection of the American people.
Yes, I said it. We all love to excoriate the man (and we should), but he is merely an externalization of what lies within the hearts of Americans. Mind you, I’m not talking about all Americans. In fact, not even a majority of them. Trump won just under 50% of the popular vote (which amounted to about 31% of the total population). However, he did capture the rabid support of enough Americans through populist messaging and the promise of economic rebound (which we are all still waiting to see). So what happened? What drove Americans to re-elect a 34-times convicted felon?
Lots of experts have weighed in on that. Many blamed it on the state of the economy. Others pointed to the relentless propaganda of the right-wing media machine. Some faulted Kamala Harris’ last-minute entry into the race.
Any yet. . .
I believe it’s something deeper than that.
I think this goes far beneath the surface. I’m talking about the unhealed generational wounds of a nation here. Our country is big, and it is beautiful. When we get things right, we really get things right. And yet we are also painfully tone-deaf to our own history at times. There is the inconvenient fact that we stole this land from our indigenous population. This has never been addressed in its totality. Then, there is that part where our country exploited African slave labor (for 246 years if you count back from the time of the early British colonies). And despite the legal abolishment of chattel slavery in 1865, African-Americans have never received fair reparations in the United States. More recently, we still contend with the psychological effects of COVID—something many of us haven’t quite rebounded from. I believe the pandemic uncovered some forgotten parts of the human psyche. It forced us to reexamine how capitalism, over-consumption, and work addiction have ruled our lives for far too long.
All of the above wounds (and more) are real, and it’s easy to project them onto an external target—trans people, immigrants, DEI. Projection never really solves the problem, however, because the problem isn’t out there—it’s in here. It’s in all of us. It is those murky, neglected places where we do not integrate, reflect, or remedy. This is the beast of this unhealed inner trauma. It waits and it festers until it becomes an external reflection. And that reflection becomes bigger until we confront it. Donald Trump is one of those reflections.
America has coasted along as a world power for generations now. We assume that it has always been the case and that it always will be. In the process, we have become complacent. We have taken democracy for granted—this beautiful experiment built on a government of the people, by the people, for the people. Democracy requires participation in order to function, but we’ve been too busy consumed with celebrity, status, and bingeing the latest Netflix show. We have abdicated personal responsibility for our country. We forgot how much we have and how much our forefathers fought in order to have it.
It is an unfortunate fact of life that we only value something once we are about to lose it. In this sense, Trump is playing his part. He’s causing the pendulum to swing into outright absurdity. And he’s pushing the limits of our institutions to a near breaking point. This is a time where truth doesn’t matter and kindness is a liability. It’s forcing us to consider what it even means to be American. What do we value? What is even worth fighting for? Who exactly gets to be free? The whole world is watching as America confronts her own shadow. And the question remains:
Will we succumb to our own self-destruction?
Sigh.
In the zeitgeist of today, it’s easy to feel hopeless. And yet, I have recently taken to having faith in the process. Not Trump’s process, mind you. Not him at all. I’m talking about faith in America as a country of possibility, as a place of self-actualization. Life works in cycles. This feels like a particularly painful part of the cycle, but what I see now is energy moving. This moment is pointing out both Republican cruelty and the fecklessness of Democrats. Neither party is really what the American people need. So WTF is really happening here?
Well. . .I can offer one idea.
Years ago, I attended a talk in Pittsburgh given by William Meader, an expert in esoteric spiritual philosophy. That night, Meader explained how there is a spiritual purpose behind everything, including sex (I know—bear with me here). Metaphysically speaking, he defined sex as the movement back and forth between two polarities (masculine and feminine). This energy continues to bounce between two poles until something new is created. I thought his explanation was brilliant. And the metaphor has stuck with me. I think there is a parallel here.
America is a country of polarities right now. We waffle back and forth between these two poles every single day. The tension is exquisite, and, for so many, freedom seems to hang in the balance.
And yet. . .
In metaphysics, obstacles are considered a gift. Pain is the crucible through we which we are reborn—whether individually OR collectively. Evolution only happens when things get uncomfortable. And there is a LOT of discomfort right now, which brings me to the present moment:
I believe we are in the process of creating something new. Something better. And that something will require ALL of our participation. It will probably be quite messy. It may even be violent. And yet, I believe it is meant to happen now. So maybe that is the gift that Trump will unintentionally give us: the chance to reclaim a better version of America. One where we can all decide once and for all to unite. And be free.
In moments like this, it’s important to focus on the only thing we can control:
Ourselves.
The revolution first has to happen within. Changing the world only really happens when we choose to change ourselves. That means taking responsibility—for ourselves, for each other, for the country we collectively inhabit. WE are the people. Not them. America is not the GOP looking to pass their big, beautiful bill that would increase taxes for the poor while giving tax-cuts to the rich. America is more than the Democrats who respond to Trump’s attacks on our institutions of higher education by sending out ‘strong’ letters. None of this is doing anything for the everyday citizen. WE have to demand more from our country.
And in the meantime, what actually does help?
Courage and empathy.
Courage and empathy are contagious. They spread like wildfire when we use them. Yes, we can fight back. Yes, we can do it with heart. And that is revolutionary in a time where the pendulum is dragging us into absurdity. It is not weakness to have empathy. In a world gone mad, it might just be all that we have.
Thanks so much for reading! Beyond the Veil is a reader-supported publication. Please like, share, or become a paid subscriber as you are willing. You can also buy me a coffee below because writing requires caffeine!! Stay tuned for next time, when I give an update on my life as an expat after five months abroad. Until then, peace and love!
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