@Sanguine ----------------------------------
Thoughtful.
Reading induces reflection which can either alter or reinforce behavior.
Yet to change, one must have the humility to recognize one's mistakes.
Anne MacLeod, his Scottish mother, labeled him incorrigible; incapable
of changing behavior, some 60 years ago and nothing is different since.
Instead Trump preens w/conceit and hubris, surrounding himself
w/fawners and lackeys who kow-tow as he struts by, applauding himself.
Consequently, his unforced errors are repeated endlessly; no surprise.
Great Nation/States, such as Rome, endured for 12 centuries, the
British Empire for 400 years; while we are a tad past 2 centuries.
Much more ominously, our Founders, among them; Adams,
Jefferson, Madison, Rutledge, Hancock and the rest, are gone!
In our material world nothing endures for eternity. NOTHING!!!
The best any culture/society can expect or hope for is longevity;
if it behaves w/ the attitudes, behaviors and values that gave it existence.
Lightweights believe repeating their mantra,"We are the greatest";
is all that is necessary to sustain us.
History will have the last word and will be neither so kind nor so naive'.
I generally agree with your assessment of Trump. It's a no-brainer.
However, what I find
very significant--even wonderfully significant in the bigger picture--is the very fact that God
overruled my fervent prayers for Cruz
over and against Trump (which prayers were earnestly interceding for our obviously undeserving nation). My point here is that I have learned from forty years of experience as a Christian that I have every reason to be content when God overrules me:
it always turns out that He has a better plan. (Sometimes I have to be patient in grasping His better plan--which scenario of necessary patience amounts to a challenge of faith--but I usually grow into real
optimism over the very fact that my prayer was
overruled.)
In short, I have learned to resist complaining about God's providence, and when I succeed in setting aside my complaining, I invariably start expecting to see some sort of blessing from God that I had not anticipated; this perspective, in turn, gives me the ability to notice things that I had overlooked.
Here's how things have unfolded for me: I have never regretted my refusal to vote for Trump in the nomination process; I was utterly appalled when he beat Cruz in a dirty campaign. I have never regretted my refusal to vote for Trump in the general election (but I confess that I was rather relieved when HRC lost to him). And I have to admit that Trump appalled me
even more when on the day of his inauguration he made a gratuitous remark calling the Clintons "good people" who had suffered enough. I assumed that this apparent breach of an extraordinarily important campaign promise vindicated me for refusing to vote for him: I could not see how such a liar's Presidency would bring any of God's mercy to America. However, I noticed some significant benefits to America over the next few months. So, I begin to have second thoughts about him--after which I discovered a lot of very important stuff that Trump has been doing behind the scenes. I really think he is utterly determined to destroy the Deep State. I think he knows how to execute a difficult but well-conceived plan.
I have come to the conclusion that our shady but shrewd Egotist-in-Chief is precisely the sort of daring and determined POTUS who can pull it off--whether he knows God or not. And there is an important Biblical precedent for this.
