ATTRIBUTES OF BEHAVIOR : CONSEQUENCES

"The satisfaction gained from the rapturous response and wild applause of cheering crowds must have offered compensation for the emptiness of his personal relations."  One might think Trump? No, it relates to Hitler (Ian Kershaw: Hitler (1889/ 1936 -HUBRIS-pages 133, etc.). The two share the same extreme pathology made up by lies, tirades, fabricated conspiracies and the "branding" or disparagement of  "enemies".

The various continents, as we know them, are the leftovers from an Ice Age catastrophe. The broken world we are  confronted with today is the splintered dysfunctional residue of a fatally wounded post World War II ambition. The main culprit is the new American nightmare. It is burning the books of learning and is waging a war against truth and science, out of frustration and a cultural pessimism which trades empathy for rejection.

The Covid-19 could accelerate the further drifting apart of the tectonic plates. They now follow their own separate routes  instead of mere colliding as before (faute de mieux). The last developments show again how the gap between Trump America and "the rest" (in and outside) is widening. There is a war against "facts"!  Lives and truth are under siege. Everything must just serve the interests of a flawed individual. The larger needs of a country are left to the mercy of opportunistic sycophants.

If Trump is re-elected, the dismantling of the American psyche will accelerate. The emergence of  "the age of Mr. Hyde" will dislodge Jefferson and Lincoln. The good angels are already leaving this ship of fools.

What will become of the the world?  China tries very hard to play the good cop while others (the EU included) just attempt to stay afloat. The Gang of Three (Trump, Bolsonaro, Orban) is busy undermining the foundation of multilateral shared beliefs. It is time to come to terms with what is happening. Otherwise it might be too late to change course and to redirect alliances and priorities which are in the E.R.

One should prepare for a difficult recovery after Trump but remain mindful of a furthering of catastrophic consequences if he were re-elected. Until election day the president and his "base" will be in full attack mode. Nothing and nobody will be off limits. The Republicans will swallow it all for the benefit of yet another tax break for the wealthy. Some still count on the conscience of Senators Romney, Collins & Co. to avoid a new escalation in the mudslinging...fat chance.

Both the pandemic and the current American Spengler-like "finish" are perverse insofar rhat they appear to be free-lancing. The end of the American Century is not like some classical French tragedy, wherein the rules of time, space and action are contained in a logical algorithm. It will be messy and spilling over.  The collateral damage should not be underestimated. Only China appears ready to stay in some form of control, able to continue and to absorb. All others appear mostly lost in trivial pursuit.

The better alternative can only become approachable if the gravity of the situation is finally recognized. The mood of "this too will pass" is a collective suicide pact. To reverse the trend, to reconnect and to repair, will occupy the time-span of a generation, if not more. America's soul and raison d'etre need rescue. If four more years were to added to the previous, the damage might well be fatal.  The pursuit of happiness would be the main casualty.