By J.B. Lester
The cicada invasion has calmed down but everything else is heating up. Temperatures for the first week of summer are soaring across the country and even climate change deniers are dripping with sweat. The problem with misguided opinions and conspiracy theories is they don’t change the facts. The flat-earth lemmings are still walking in a straight line waiting to fall off the edge of the planet while only coming back to where they started not even noticing they have returned to home base. Even a small child pulls back their hand when stuck in a flame. Just sayin…
I am truly amazed that there is still some support for a disgraced former president after being found guilty by a jury of his peers on felony charges. Then I realized the power of the “chip on the shoulder syndrome.” Trump followers all have big chips weighing them down. Trump is their standard bearer for all their grievances. Who among us has not had a beef with government, the justice system, the police, the DMV, insurance companies, the IRS, the post office and even the paperboy. Let’s face it, someone or something has ticked people off and for some reason Trump has convinced this disgruntled crowd that he is their champion because he too has been persecuted and treated unfairly. Even after Trump has failed to pay his lawyers, his real estate project managers and vendors, his taxes and many more, some people still hitch their wagon to his train to Pottersville. He has convinced his flock that holding a grudge and getting revenge is a show of strength. He has taken name calling and bullying to a whole new level. All the things we teach our children are bad human behavior, he doubles down on.
As the temperature and anxiety over the 2024 presidential election rise, we all need to find a way to cool down and protect ourselves from heat and political exhaustion. Stay out of the sun, hydrate and read a book to your son or daughter in an air conditioned room. Look them in the eye and ask yourself if you want them to grow up like Donald Trump. If the answer is yes, then knock the chip off your shoulder and ask yourself again. Holding a grudge, revenge, hatred, anger and fear are not political views. They are destructive, dark emotions that cause chaos and can crumble the foundation of our democracy.
I understand why Trump supporters are angry. We have all had chips on our shoulders at one time or another. We have all be wronged by the system. But we learn to move on and not carry the weight of anger and angst. A vote for Trump is not a vote for security and strength. It is a vote for chaos and weakness. If you think things are bad now, play the Trump card and see what we get.
Try leaving that “chip” out of the voting booth this November and vote from your heart and not from your shoulder. Don’t allow fear to check the boxes for you. If you really want a great America, you have to vote for democracy and not a dictatorship. (Not even for one day!)