I suspect that some of you might be surprised at the title as well as the object of my praise. It all started on Saturday, August 19, 2017, when I was on the treadmill at LA Fitness, watching the rally in Boston. Suddenly this idea popped into my head: Donald Trump, in his limited time in office, has taught us so many valuable lessons. Let me enumerate:
- In my lifetime, I have never seen so much open and blatant racism. Mr. Trump seems to have a propensity to bring racism to the forefront and teach us how to hate.
- It is shocking how many white nationalist groups there are in the United States. They see Donald as their standard-bearer.
- Trump has taken this country back fifty years with just the stroke of a pen. I never thought any teacher could give that much instruction in so short a period.
- He has suppressed the middle class and elevated the richest of the rich with astronomical speed. Where did he learn to do that?
- It is extremely dangerous to take someone who has no experience in government and make him or her president. Trump has demonstrated this shouldn’t be done. Good job, Mr. Trump!
- Many white men in our country are becoming increasingly terrified. They know they are losing power and prestige and are so insecure that they are willing to kill others to make certain this doesn’t happen.
- Trump has shown us how to alienate our friends and neighbors in other countries as quickly as possible. After all, who needs friends in this interdependent world?
- I know that foot-in-mouth disease is a killer, but I don’t think there has ever been another president who was so adept at the foot-in-mouth technique. I can’t wait to take that course.
- A lesson that Robert Frost so aptly taught us and Mr. Trump is so adamant to accomplish is “Good fences make good neighbors.” It baffles me that our Mexican friends don’t understand this. Maybe they feel that the four fences haven’t done much to deter illegal immigration. But Trump’s fence will do the job. As the president loves to say, “Believe me.”
- Apparently, all Muslims and people from the Middle East, even if they have lived here their entire lives, are terrorists. I now need to dump all my Muslim friends. Thanks, Donald, for teaching me that one!
- The very best way to accomplish anything is to call people who don’t agree with you vicious names and then proceed to denigrate them. This lesson confused me at first because I thought it was just an act to get elected. But now I see it’s the president’s modus operandi. I really like that approach, and tomorrow I’m going to start using it.
- One of my very favorite lessons comes from Mr. Trump’s great desire to love his enemies. Jesus was very forthright about this. The fact that the leader of our country is reaching his hand out to Mr. Putin, the Saudis, white supremacists, and the superrich makes him a winner.
I’m exhausted from all this learning, but I suspect there are more of Trump’s teachings in store for us. Here’s a lesson that I secretly wish to learn: How can I get my hair like Mr. Trump’s? Can you think of any great lessons I might have missed?
Photo courtesy of Alisdare Hickson. (CC BY-SA 2.0)
What I have learned from our current president is that in order to create a just and peaceful world, it is more important than ever before during my lifetime that people MUST to come together to practice Agape and to model to everyone that which we want to see in others.
Not yet. Had rather stay ignorant than learn more.
He has taught me that perhaps 70% of the American people are ignorant and don’t read a thing about politics nor pay any attention to the warning signs all over the place.
I began to worry about this when he announced his candidacy. As the campaign progressed, I thought intelligent and thinking people would see this and rise up to vote for another candidate. …any other candidate. They evidently never made it to the polls.
He has also taught me to never trust in the electoral college…the popular vote is more to be trusted.
He has got more people energized to participate in politics including friends of mine in their 60’s and 70’s who never campaigned before (although not for him). Thanks tweety bird.
Yes, he has mobilized Political friends of mine in their 70’s and 60’s to campaign (though not for him)