The Subtle Cabinet, Atlas, 26th Day of Hagwinter, 524 M.E.

 

Trump is our next president, much to my profound disappointment, and the shitshow has already begun. From stomach-turning cabinet nominations to his refusal to sign the ethics pledge legally required by the Presidential Transition Act, the deplorable actions of the Twenty-Teens are already returning. Yes, the circus is back in town, but that doesn't mean I have to enjoy the monkeys.

To be honest, my mental health vis a vis depression is already a tenuous thing, and I don't want or need to get pulled back into the despair and daily outrage I experienced from 2016 (and earlier) to 2020 (and beyond). I refuse to binge-watch the pundits on MSNBC all day telling me exactly why the latest proclamation is so upsetting, or doomscroll through social media for hours on end as each commenter tries to one-up the outrage of the next. I'm not going to indulge in the anger and the resentment that I did during his first administration.

I'm not approving of his politics and policies, though. Far from it. I'm just going to control my reactions to the abysmal events that will unfold over the next several years rather than let those events and news cycles control me. And if you think I'm choosing ignorance over an informed opinion, you're wrong. I can keep abreast of current events through casual reading and news watching. In fact, it's pretty much unavoidable in this current, wired, digital age. 

If you see a post here from time to time protesting some new policy or current event, it doesn't mean I've abandoned my vow. But I'm going to try, as best I can, to comment on a calm and rational basis on injustices I see in the world, both nationally and abroad. 

The Stoics emphasized recognition and distinction between things you can control and things you can't. I can't control the actions of the Chief Executive of the United States. The Buddha taught that one cause of suffering is clinging to the delusion that things are different than they really are. My beloved country has willfully installed a fascistic dictator into its highest office, and pretending that's not the case, or that it's alright, only hurts myself. Accepting that I can't change the election but can only govern my own behavior and actions in the difficult times ahead is the only rational course.

And this I will try.