Did Donald Trump Kill Values?
What do we teach our children now?
Our country has just elected a president who is a convicted felon, has bragged about sexually assaulting women, had sex with a porn star while his wife was pregnant, and then paid hush money to cover it up.
Our president-elect lied, mocked people with disabilities, cheated people he owed money to, created bogus companies and fake universities, given Covid tests to Putin when people in the United States needed them, and even sold Bibles with his name on them.
He cheated on all three of his wives. He bragged that he could shoot someone and get away with it. He incited violence and took no action while watching his own government being attacked.
And, now he wants to put the Ten Commandments in public schools.
Why?
Forget, for a moment, that our founding fathers declared that our country should maintain a separation of church and state.
The Ten Commandments were supposedly given to Moses by God as instructions for living an ethical and moral life.
Donald Trump has lied, cheated, stolen, and coveted his neighbour’s wife (and worse), committed adultery, put his name on the Bible (and sold them), gotten people killed on January 6th, and threatened to jail and kill people who have opposed him.
In short, Donald Trump has broken almost every one of the Ten Commandments that he wants to post in classrooms.
What’s the message here? What are we teaching our children?
What do the 76,679,149 people who voted for Trump say to their kids or their future kids?
How do Christians (followers of Christ who instructed everyone to love their neighbours) explain how they voted for someone who is the antithesis of Christ?
What are teachers supposed to tell their students?
Do they say, "Here are the rules from God; don’t worry; you can break all of them and still be president like Donald Trump?"
The three main reasons people say they voted for Trump are money, migrants, and modernity.
Many people who voted for him say they don’t like him personally, but think he will be good for the economy. They are willing to overlook his criminal record and lack of morals because they believe they will benefit financially.
Some Trump voters say they believe people are coming to America to steal their jobs. And eat their pets. Despite facts showing this not to be true, Trump voters say they support deporting migrants, with whatever force is necessary.
Other Trump voters want a return to the not-so-glorious past when men controlled the world, women didn’t have rights, and the majority of citizens were white.
A vote for Trump was a vote for money over morals, me over we, my way or the highway.
This is why people like me feel so disappointed and disillusioned.
But, consider this.
Only 64% of eligible voters (244,666,890) voted in this election. Of the people who voted, the outcome was 50% for Trump and 48% for Kamala Harris. Therefore, only 50% of 64% which would be 32% of people in our country voted for Donald Trump.
74,114,558 votes (48.3%) Harris
76,687,751 votes (50%) Trump
The final numbers are separated by less than 2%.
Less than one-third of the people in our country voted for Trump.
Almost one-third of the people in our country voted for Kamala Harris.
And one-third of the people in our country let other people decide who would be our next president.
Also, if all the votes for the third-party candidates, Jill Stein, Robert Kennedy, and Chase Oliver, had gone to Kamala Harris, she would have won the election.
This is not a landslide or a mandate.
This is an unfortunate concoction of self-interest, misinformation, and apathy, with a sprinkling of misogyny, racism, and patriarchy.
Some of us do believe in equality for all. We believe in freedom of expression and a free press. We love the beauty of America as a welcoming home for all and a better world created by a glorious melting pot of global citizens.
We believe in truth, making the world a better place, kindness, compassion, cooperation, justice, and loving our neighbors.
We believe in the Pledge of Allegiance. In case you don’t remember the words, here it is.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
We need to embrace this once glorious vision for our country.
I propose we start with: I matter, you matter, we all matter.
We all share space on the same planet. We breathe the same air. We drink the same water. We are only here for a short time. We will all die.
We are all connected in ways seen and unseen.
Ask yourself what kind of world you want to live in and what you would like to accomplish before you die.
We came into this life with nothing and we will leave with nothing.
You can’t bring your Porche to the afterlife. Or your Rolex. Or your private jet.
All the material stuff gets left behind.
But, how we treat people, animals, and our planet makes a difference.
We can contribute to the destruction or the creation of life around us.
Respect, equality, truth, love, justice, kindness, compassion. Aspiration to be our best self.
These are the values that I am embracing and I will teach to my children, grandchildren, and anyone who will listen.
I am inspired by the words of the late John Lennon who expressed this vision so eloquently in his song, Imagine.
Listen to it here and choose a side.
Don’t give up hope. Imagine a better world and keep working towards making it a reality.
Do you have a vision for the world? Please share it with me. I look forward to hearing from you.
Also, if you want to live in a kinder, caring, and more loving world, please clap for this vision.
Thank you.
