Jan 11, 2020
No, Trump Does Not Live In The Moment, Despite What Marc Fisher Says
Nothing could be further from the truth
Marc Fisher, the biographer of Donald Trump, says in a recent op-ed for The Washington Post that Trump’s great strength is that “he lives in the moment”.
Fisher is dead wrong. Here’s what he said:
Trump’s great strength — and his frightening emptiness — stem from the same character trait: He lives in the moment …
Nothing could be further from the truth.
People who have the capability to live in the moment give themselves the space to experience their fears and vulnerabilities.
They care about the consequences of their actions on others, even if they have learnt not to mind.
The ability to live in the moment is a strength — a very elusive one.
Living FOR the moment is not living in the moment
The majority of people are unable to do so. They, like Trump, live for the moment and are generally consumed by the moment.
Like Trump, who thinks about transactions “literally 24 hours a day” — to quote from this interview with Rona Barret — most people are consumed by past events and future imagined outcomes.
This is how they become trapped by the moment and into living for the moment. It is a seed of neuroticism.
Living for the adrenaline of the transaction
Living for the moment is how life works when you live for the next high — the adrenalin of the transaction.
This is the “battle of the deal”, as Trump says — the craving for the pleasure of winning; the rush from crushing the other party no matter what the consequences for them.
Trump acknowledges that “the people who enjoy it are the people that have been winners”.
Drug dealers prey on people who are hooked on living for the moment — people whose minds race all night about how to get crack the next day.
Drugs, clubs, booze, sex and porn are for the moment
Drugs, clubs, booze, sex, porn, violent sports, and winning at sport at all costs are all patronised by the hordes of people who live for the moment.
Living for the next hit is not living in the moment, it’s the opposite.
People who are addicted to living for the moment — to porn, violence, and booze, for example — don’t care how they get the next hit. They don’t care who is hurt — even if they hurt themselves. It becomes pathological — known as Impulse Control Disorder (ICD).
Those with ICD need treatment because they endanger civil society. One of the ways they endanger society is because they become disengaged, they slowly become psychopathological.
Living in the moment, in the present
On the other hand, people who have developed the skill to live in the moment are able to appreciate the present.
They don’t live for the highs of the transaction; rather, they are mindful of their connectedness to everybody else, and the world.
We often call the skill to be able to live in the present mindfulness.
Mindful people are happier, more exuberant, more empathetic, and more secure. They have higher self-esteem and are more accepting of their weaknesses.
Being present in the here and now reduces the kinds of impulsivity and reactivity that underlie depression, binge eating, and attention problems.
Mindful people can accept negative feedback without feeling threatened.
Trump lives for the moment
Mr Trump is 100% not living in the moment; living in the present.
He is living for the moment.
That is not a “great strength of character” as claimed by Marc Fisher; it is a huge weakness — and a common flaw of rogues and scoundrels.
And as Samuel Johnson said:
Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.
So true.
Having politicians who are able to live in the moment would be a great asset to the world and humanity.
Perhaps the new generation has a better chance of doing so — see Finland’s New Government Is Young And Led By Women — Here’s What The Country Does To Promote Diversity
Let’s hope so.
If you enjoyed this post then you might also enjoy my Secret purpose of meditation is to help you escape your addiction to neuroticism and Mindful Passion, Poise and Posture and Not Minding Leads to Confidence, Not Caring to Disengagement and Depression and Creating Room to Work On Your Life Helps You Live Your Better Life
I’m Walter Adamson. I write about life, health, exercise, life and cognitive fitness to help men and women over 50 live longer better.
Get my free, weekly newsletter → here. Not sure yet? See an example
Follow me on Quora and Reddit for more health and fitness tips. Friend me on Goodreads.
