IT'S SIMPLY MOTIVATIONAL
It truly is wonderful to see. We all have heard of, or attempted to read, or discussed with colleagues the issue of motivation. It has gone through various life forms in the business schools of the country, it is always a topic of wonder in schools of psychology and other forms of the social sciences, historians often discuss it in the guise of historical figures and events. It is a marvelous topic of conversation and always raises disputes as to its source.
What we have currently though is motivation in its simplest form: personal animosity. Not many people either historically or currently have the ability to act, to be motivated, by personal animosity. It is a wondrous thing to see. And what is so great about it is we can view it on display daily in the guise of the current president of the United States. As one example, look at the misfits and yahoos who he has appointed and who have been confirmed by the Senate.
When one actually listens to Trump's pronouncements of actions to be taken or not taken, two things rise to the surface: One is pure whim and the other is personal animosity. Whim has no motivation, but is simply that - whim. Personal animosity, though, can and does allow for motivation in those with the power to exercise it.
From what I can gather from a lifetime of reading, it takes a society such as Rome a significant period to gather together in one place the power necessary for personal animosity and whim to rule. You suppose the Egyptians came to the same? It's as conceivable as any other demise. We, the United States, meaning us, have had a relatively short duration in which to accumulate the power necessary for personal animosity and whim to rule the dictates of the man in charge; but we have, much to our surprise. We've always said that it can't happen here. Well it has. We have a president of the United States whose ignorance is unparalleled and whose decisions are dictated purely by whim and personal animosity. We haven't reached the level of Caligula, but we have a man as president whose actions are either unpredictable as pure whimsy or very predictable as pure personal animosity.
Folks, we apparently have reached a stage in our evolution as a country and society which signifies the beginning of the end. This beginning may be a very long beginning, but it is a beginning. It is a situation where nothing but the personal controls the decisions that affect us all as a participant in an empire; you can't call us a country simply. As the Roman emperors squabbled and fought, the empire kept building roads and amphitheaters - - for a while - - just as we keep building skyscrapers, palatial estates on the coast, and aircraft carriers. But it came to an end as we shall.
It is hard to witness - - the level of malfunction and misdirection existing in our leadership. It is more sad to see the acceptance given to this man who calls himself president. It is not just Trump. The people of this country are apparently ready for such a leader and they have him. Our politicians have realized this and parrot the public sentiment. If one were to give this some thought however, a seemingly difficult thing to do, one must be extremely pessimistic. It's one thing to get rid of a president, quite another to change the public who supports him.
Richard E H Phelps II
Mingo
