By Charles Thomas
Guest Columnist
The more you think you know about human behavior, the less you really know about human behavior.
Like many of you, all the things that I learned during my developmental years do not apply in this current political climate, that truth should not be reserved for a special place in time and should be there, always front and center. There can not be wisdom if there is no truth. That is what we were told during those years of learning.
So why, as we have maneuvered into adult life, have so many chosen to follow a man who spews misstatements equivalent to a volcanic eruption whenever his mouth is moving?
Wisdom will never be present if first there is not kindness, and kindness is a word Donald Trump has no familiarity with. He attacks all who disagree with his form of wisdom, calling them “enemies within” when he himself is America’s most dangerous self-inflicted injury.
As I rise now each morning and look in the mirror, I realize that I am one of those people that he speaks of as an “enemy from within” because I will never adhere to his propaganda of lies, hate and anger because to do so would lead me further away from those teachings I received so long ago. I have already mistakenly strayed away from many of those teachings, and to follow the misgivings of Donald Trump would only lead me to be even lesser of a person of dignity.
The last presidential election was the first time in this country a peaceful transfer of power did not occur, a destiny that has made this country stand out from all the rest. However, destiny is not a matter of chance. It is a matter of choice, and this election is likely the most consequential since the birth of this nation.
Many are willing to disregard the character faults of the Republican candidate based solely on the idea that he is an economic genius, even after enduring six bankruptcies and numerous lawsuits. What I would ask those that follow this line of thinking is, “What magic will he perform to reduce the price of an egg or a loaf of bread, knowing that we live in a global marketplace today?”
As an example, we get flowers and coffee from Columbia, avocados from Mexico, shrimp and fish from Canada, and rice from China.
Despite what some say on the right, humans do not have the capabilities to geoengineer the weather and cause hurricanes and tornados while ignoring the effects of climate change and global warming. The effects of global warming are not a phenomenon that is restricted solely to the borders of the United States. It is, again, a global phenomenon.
In worldwide places where crops are supposed to be grown, we have flooded fields. In other places where some type of food is produced, we have drought conditions. Yet another place we have fire and heat-related crop failures.
The one guy that says that these dire weather conditions are a hoax, like he has with everything he disagrees with, is the one guy that you have conditioned your mind to believe will make the price you pay for an egg decrease. He has traveled the country listening to stories of hardships, stories of people who talk of financial difficulties and how they struggle to make ends meet.
What does this economic savior do? Well, with what money they have left, he chooses to take their remaining few dollars by selling them a Chinese-made Bible, some gold-painted sneakers, a piece of a suit, some collector cards and, finally, some gold coins and a gold watch. This is the carnival-barking snake oil salesman they look to as their economic savior, the same guy who ripped off goal-oriented ordinary Americans when he created that fake university.
It’s been said that the superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell. I will no longer wonder when I see the actions of this wicked man, but I will always wonder how they are unashamed of their actions and how so many people can fall victim to that wickedness.
Charles Thomas lives in Lima. His column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Lima News editorial board or AIM Media, owner of The Lima News.
