The Election: What happened to Normal?

Let’s be honest, this election was nothing like recent, past Presidential contests over my lifetime. Frankly I am alarmed by what we halve done here. For disclosure, I have always been progressive and leaning Democratic. But I was never rigid or rabid. Each time I had a preference for a candidate. I preferred Obama but I did not dislike Romney or McCain. Carter but did not dislike or fear Reagan. Think about the choices over this time span, the personalities were more admirable than they were controversial: Clinton, Gore, Bush, Obama, McCain, Romney, Humphrey, Nixon, Dukakis. Yes, of course, each one had baggage that dragged them down. And Americans had opinions about their preferences. Yet these individuals were all pretty stable. Of course, each had some skeletons in their closet. But none of them that I knew ever had a severe personality disorder that bordered on pathology. But that is the story of this election. In the past it’s always been a choice between two men who are otherwise stable and of grounded character. And even when some flaw was revealed in one or another, it paled in comparison to our new president. For the first time in my lifetime, we have elected someone who is a narcissist and likely a sociopath. His skills are undeniable, as he mesmerized millions of people. And yet more than half the country who voted looked past this character flaws and followed that path anyway.

So now we wait. We observe what will be put in place for this new reality in America. Millions are thrilled, and as many millions are angry and frightened. But none of us really knows the actual consequences of this turn. So what can we do? I’m reminded of the work of the scholar Julian Rotter, who coined the term “locus of control.” He distinguished those who had an ‘internal’ locus of control versus those with an ‘external’ locus of control. These intuitive terms suggest that we adjust to our reality. So, understand what side you’re on: Am I in ‘seize the moment’ mode? Am I in the ‘ride it out’ group? My guess is that those who feel discouraged will just sit back. There will be millions of others who are already standing up, leaning forward, and determined to take back control. However you are feeling, it will be amazing to watch this latest epic drama in the history of our wonderful country. I will watch, learn and pray and devote myself to serving the frightened and the traumatized.

What will you do?