The results, so far, of the 2020 US presidential election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden have been nothing so much as chaos – and where they go from here is absolutely anybody’s guess, but I’ll venture one (admittedly obvious) prediction: Whichever “side” loses will regard the outcome as having been stolen and achieved fraudulently by the opposition. This will invariably intensify the already fever-pitch division and hatred each faction feels for the other – a sentiment that is not likely to recede or diminish anytime soon.
Donald Trump likes to say that, “In America, we worship God, not government.” While this is, to some degree, a collective and presumptuous statement (perhaps such sentiment might be better expressed by saying, “In America, we ought to worship God – if we worship anything at all – not government?”), it still addresses a salient point: To many – perhaps even most – people, government and politics have taken on all the qualities of a de facto religion in their minds. It is the vehicle of raw force by which not only they expect to live, but the one – their version of which, of course – they expect all others to abide by, as well.
At least one of these quasi-theological factions is about to become both very disillusioned with, and by, a process which, heretofore, they have held in a kind of sacred light – even if only subconsciously. I don’t expect that this disillusionment will penetrate the indoctrination of more than one in every ten-thousand deeply enough to cause them to reject the Cult of the State altogether, but one can still dream.
And if there is any silver lining to this situation at all, this is the only one I can find.
