When Americans get angry they get destructive. Like two year olds we stomp our feet and break our toys. We don't much care what destruction we leave behind, we want what we want and we want it now!
Perhaps we weathered the great depression with greater aplomb as a younger country because we had the experience of citizens from other countries. Other countries with hundreds and sometimes thousands of years of experience as civilizations. Civilizations which learned hard lessons, some disappearing from this planet because they refused to listen, learn from mistakes, or considered themselves "too big to fail"
Our government is on a quest to destroy the very fabric of democracy built over the baby years we have been in business. We are babies compared to France, Spain, England and Italy. All major power players on this planet at various times.
Perhaps the wisdom of experiences and the lessons which can be learned by observing history would be helpful to our quest to grow and mature as a country.
Two year olds, as we know, don't have the maturity to reflect. The two year old's tantrum wreaks destruction, out of control, not understanding his own anger, only the desire to remove whatever pain or discomfort creating the chaotic feelings from within.
As citizens, we behave much the same,
pointing fingers, yelling and screaming, crying and stomping our feet, willing to vote for the biggest, most destructive bullies, much like us, who will express our collective anger, without reason, forethought or maturity,
We don't want to just blame others for our immaturity and destructive behavior, we want to destroy them so we don't have to accept responsibility for our own destructiveness.
For this reason, we will vote for those with the biggest bully voices, ignoring our own destructive and irresponsible behavior. We will applaud the destructivness of politicians who obstruct that which will guide us, care for us, lead us or protect us. We look for the bully with the biggest stick, the loudest mouth, the greatest ignorance to lash out, destroy and make us all feel powerful-for the moment.
That moment, that tantrum, when completed, is the great threat to our nation.
Our refusal to grow up and take responsibility for ourselves, our own lives, and our country's health and well being .
We have no one to put us in the corner to cool off, to get control, to learn to control our anger.
Let us hope we can learn to do it for ourselves. Right now, it doesn't look so good.
