How Trump’s Assassination Attempt Made Me Reflect Upon My Political Opinions

And toned down my negative emotions a little more

Yesterday, like everyone in America and the rest of the world, I woke up to the news of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump during his rally in Pennsylvania.

Before I begin, let me tell you that I had at least three other half-written drafts but this is something I’m writing on a whim so bear with me, even if you think I’m deviating from my usual topics. Because I’m not. You’ll realize as you read ahead.

Let me also clarify that, This is not a political opinion.

It’s just that this incident made me reflect on my political views and the views of others around me. And dive deeper into the layers that form those opinions.

Here’s what happened…

I started my morning by seeing the viral video where Trump was delivering a speech as a series of gunshots were fired towards him and he fell to the ground leaving thousands of people gasping for breath. One would have thought that it was the end of him, but he rises like a phoenix and shoves his fist to the audience to tell everyone he’s ‘fine’. The audience bursts into a loud cheer witnessing this heroic moment from Donald Trump, as he is walked off by a group of Bodyguards surrounding him.

The incident is followed by tweets pouring in from people like Elon Musk to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and his thousands of supporters worldwide. Even those not supporting Trump or ‘hate him so much’ seemed to have developed a slight sense of sympathy for him. All because of the assassination attempt, and the likelihood that he would be dead this morning. The incident humanized him for his haters and herofied him for his supporters.

It made me realize…

I don’t consider myself a political person. I don’t participate or particularly feel very interested in political discussions. I am also aware that nobody can be apolitical, and you’re affected by politics even when you’re not interested in it. I do vote and I did vote in the last month’s elections in India but I never felt a strong association with any political party so far. As a whole, politics seems very illusioned, dishonest, and superficial to me.

It’s often hard for me to overlook the bullshit and manipulative tactics of the candidates who seem to entice thousands of people with their extravagant and often, superfluous speeches. Oh, how they speak carefully crafted sentences and words to invoke certain emotions in their audience to encourage them to vote for them eventually.

Regardless of which party it is, they’re all trying to manipulate people into voting for them. They all want power. But it’s on the people to choose the one who will use their power responsibly.

In short, you have to decide, whose going to make the roads you drive on less shitty than before, the tax policy a little more favorable, the medical facilities more accessible, and so on.

What about Trump?

Sitting in another country, I have not followed Donald Trump’s journey too deeply to state whether he is the ideal president or not. Yet I know enough from the news and his outrageous statements on the Lgbtq community, immigrants, and women to form an opinion. He comes across as a person who speaks without thinking, often spewing sarcastic remarks for others. To me, he didn’t appear as someone who deserves to be the leader of a powerful nation.

The incident today, however, made me see him as a human — vulnerable, fragile, and not invincible. It also made me realize that I had unknowingly formed a strong judgment about him. Thanks to the internet as well, which rigorously perpetuates the idea of ‘Trump-hating’ that further fueled my dislike towards him.

What this truly made me reflect is that unknowingly I had these negative emotions for someone who perhaps is a victim of his own circumstances and upbringing or for all I know, he is good at heart and wants the best for his nation. The point is, that I do not need to subject myself to these unnecessary negative emotions.

There is a quote from Bhagwad Geeta:

अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्र: करुण एव च |
निर्ममो निरहङ्कार: समदु:खसुख: क्षमी ||
सन्तुष्ट: सततं योगी यतात्मा दृढनिश्चय: |
मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्यो मद्भक्त: स मे प्रिय: ||

Which translates to,

“Who does not hate any being, who is friendly and compassionate, who is free from attachment and egoism, who is equal-minded in sorrow and happiness, who is forgiving, who is always contented, steady in meditation, who is self-controlled and firm in conviction, who has surrendered his mind and intellect in Me, he (such a devotee) is dear to me.”

This was a lesson for me to not hate or judge another human being regardless of who they are or what they do. And that I have to make this constant effort to overcome these negative emotions towards any being, that does nothing but harm my spiritual growth.

But why do people hold such strong emotions for the political party they support?

I have grown up listening to political conversations in my house and I still do. I have seen a group of middle-aged men sit together and form a ‘discussion panel’ on ‘who’s-done-what’ in our country, as they sip on their cup of chai. And god forbid if any of them have different political opinions, the house becomes a newsroom debate where everyone is raising their voice to give their opinion but nobody is ready to listen.

As an empath and someone who can strongly feel other people’s energies, this whole political conversation used to be too overwhelming for me, and it still does but I have learned to manage my emotions better as I grew up. It doesn’t drain me as much as it used to.

What concerns me the most about political debates is that people who support a political party, take much rejoice in criticizing the opposing political party and find pleasure in imagining their downfall or hard loss, to the extent that it becomes borderline sadistic. It’s hard for them to acknowledge any good deeds of the opposing political party and see the candidates as just humans with both positive and negative qualities.

I know people who cannot hear a word against their leader, let alone accept their wrongdoings because it will somehow shake their belief system. Their ego doesn’t let them accept that the leader they believe in might have flaws or can make mistakes.

This unshakeable political belief is similar to any religious fanatic, who has no respect for other’s viewpoints and preaches to condemn the rest of the world to hell if they don’t abide by their ideology.

Perhaps this is why I do not seem to form a strong political opinion about any of the parties or candidates in my country or another.

Politics requires polarizing opinions. It divides people into black and white. Good and Bad. Right and wrong. But the reality is not as simple as two ends of a pole. It’s complex and subjective. The lines between the above are often blurred and merge into each other.

I can vote for one party but I don’t shy away from praising the opposition if they do something good for the country. Isn’t it how it should be? But this often doesn’t go down well with people. If you’re showing support for one party, then you have to sing praises for them and spew hatred for the other.

But hatred is an emotion that blocks our growth as humans. It’s a strong emotion that I’ve gradually learned to let go of.

To sum up,

We have to see our leaders as humans first and parties second, only then we can choose the right leader. It’s important to form a political opinion unbiasedly, based on facts and logic, and not emotions alone. Because the thing about emotions is, they can be manipulated easily. The content we consume, memes we laugh at, stories we share, and news we watch; all set a narrative that affects our perception and opinion. One has to be careful and decide if their opinion comes from what they think, or what they have been told.

P.S. This might be my first and last political story because as I said, I do not immerse myself too deeply into it. I only hope for a world that is led by genuine leaders who push humanity toward progress and make life a little easier for the people.

What’s your opinion on this incident? I’d to love hear that in the comments. Do check out my other stories on Medium. Follow if you like!