Making America Basically Good Again: Merging Political and Contemplative View
Two days ago I heard a long time senator on NPR describe the current presidential election as the wildest he has seen in his 50 years in politics. Obviously something outlandish is happening, but at 28, I don’t have all that much lived history to compare it to. So it was interesting, if unsurprising, to hear that even someone so accustomed to the political process is astounded. It hasn’t been easy to make sense of. Old rules are breaking, outsiders are making a strong push, things that were once off the table are back on, and dignity and integrity are, at times, utterly absent. But what gets my attention most is a prevailing sense that America is broken. Trump in his unprecedented bluntness states that “the country is going to hell, we have people who don’t know what they’re doing in Washington”. Hillary, in her latest riff, takes a softer approach, saying that this nation is still great but not “whole”. It’s easy to agree with. Big issues that demand quick and comprehensive action seem …