Last Wednesday evening, Ben and I took a long walk and talked about how to move forward with TTW in the post-election world that we now live in. By then, I was in a better state of mind and ready to begin exploring this new world that has been thrust upon us.
To truly understand what is needed, I think it is necessary to take a brief look at how we got here. Over the last 16 years or so, I have watched as our political parties have become completely polarized. As the right became more conservative, the left responded by becoming more liberal. Now, I’m not going to get into who’s right and who’s wrong. I’m simply talking about the energy dynamics involved when two opposing forces become polarized.
Many years ago, the Democrats and the Republicans could agree on what the issues were, they just disagreed on how to fix them. Over the years, people within the power structure realized that by creating conflict between the parties they could separate and divide the American people. By dividing us, they could control the government and keep themselves in power perpetually.
As the parties got further and further from center, the base of that power – we, the people--became weaker and weaker. Heading into this election, I felt that the people’s power base was the weakest I have ever seen in the 51 years that I have been alive.
It’s no wonder that Trump’s slogan of “Make America Great again” appealed to so many. What he was promising, whether he knew it or not, was a returning of power to the base (the people), and a drawing it away from the powers that be. That message of returning the power to the people was so strong that it didn’t matter that he’s not only unqualified for the job, but that for all intent and purposes, he appears to be a despicable human being.
As I watch him appoint his cabinet and prepare to assume control, it seems obvious that he’s aligned himself with the ultra-conservative right and that this dividing of the people will be greater than ever. If he was actually going to return power to the people, his cabinet would be much more diverse and not filled with hatemongers, ultra-conservatives, and known racists.
This is where TTW comes in. We are going to create a balancing force to help stabilize our country and pull energy from both the left and right back towards the center. As much as I’d like to protest, riot and create a resistance movement, right now what we need is to create stability.