by Ray Jason
A great sea gypsy family |
During the shrill cacophony of the
U.S. election campaign, many friends and strangers asked me why I did not
comment on it. The reason is because I
try to observe the world as a philosopher - and not as a pundit. My belief is that pundits assess the short-term
flux of events, whereas philosophers examine the long-term trends and
consequences.
Here are some of my
conclusions. Intriguingly, they might
provide some comfort to both camps – those devastated by the results and those
delighted by them. The Clintonistas
might recall that when Obama was elected, the Right was quite certain that the
world would end. But, indeed, it did not
end – although it also did not improve.
So even though you fear that Trump will bludgeon the planet off its very
axis, this is not likely to occur.
As for the Trumpians, you might take
heart in the knowledge that even though the goals of the victors are almost
never realized once in office, the fact that your triumph was a referendum
against the Establishment, makes it a far more potent force. But you will need to remain vigilant, or your
dream of Making America Great Again will go down in flames like Hope and
Change.