Is The Rope Fraying?

There is a big bowl of Tikka Masala and Lemon rice on my left and a Dodger game playing on the television behind me, albeit with the sound off.

Technically I am supposed be relaxing now but my mind is moving a million miles a minute so I am trying not to focus on medical concerns for family members by working.

Yet I can’t stop from thinking about the debate last night and Trump’s refusal to say whether he’ll concede gracefully or not.

It bothers me to see him suggest the election is rigged as if it is the only way he could possibly lose.

Granted I am bothered by his refusal to dismiss and disavow the support of white supremacists and nazis, but not as much as the “rigged election” comments.

What happens if he loses?

Will there be violence?

Will he condemn it or issue another dog whistle inciting more fear and more chaos.

It is an irresponsible and dangerous game he is playing.

Is The Rope Fraying?

Society works because most of us are willing to follow  the rules and go along to get along.

That doesn’t mean it is populated by drones who only do as they are told/asked and never step out of line.

It just means most of us try to wait in line, pay taxes, help our neighbors and mostly mind our own business.

But I can’t think of a time where things have felt more divided and there is been more fear/anger than I feel now.

I know lots of people who won’t say who they are voting for because they fear the consequences.

I know lots of people who have told me who they are voting for and it is clear their choices are based upon fear.

These are not good things or happy moments.

Their conversations that make me wonder if the rope is fraying a little bit.

Musical Interlude

I have been meaning to play around with inserting MP3’s here for a while now so what you have above is Feel Like Makin Love by Bad Company.

and now here is another you can listen to or skip as you wish.

We move from The Beatles to Sabotage by The Beastie Boys, or should I say that is what I am listening to right now.

Feels appropriate.

One of the saddest comments I have heard is one a friend said about how they wouldn’t want their children to run for president because of how horrific the process has become.

There is a lot of truth in that.

We spend significant amounts of time trying to destroy the candidates we don’t like.

The last several elections haven’t focused on qualifications and track records with the kind of focus I prefer.

Instead we hope to find out whether the candidate is sleeping with farm animals or people other than theirs spouse.

We hope to prove they are a drunk or druggie or better yet has something we can define as mental illness.

I don’t want someone with a current substance abuse problem to be in office but I am not against someone who is in recovery.

Can’t say I would support someone who is into bestiality, but I don’t see a reason to focus on whether they are sleeping with someone outside of their relationship.

That is not our business.

The question is can they do the job? How well can they meet the obligations and responsibilities of their office.

But we don’t seem to be interested in those things so they aren’t the focus.

I am too tired to offer real substantive solutions to all of our political issues so I won’t.

But I’ll reiterate that in my personal life I am focused on trying to have real conversations with the people who are important to me.

I tell the kids all the time that sometimes we have to work to maintain friendships and that if they are good friends you don’t mind carrying the load every now and then.

As long as you don’t do it every time there is nothing wrong with it.

Sometimes going a long while without speaking can be good, gives you a ton to catch up on or the realization there is nothing left to discuss.

And now that I have finished my food I need to catch some ZZZZ to overcome this food coma.