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{Editor’s Note: Our perspective is different, but Elephant is a mindful community that hosts different voices—as long as facts and caring are present. From my perspective, we care about good journalism. Truth. Empathy rises from knowing, not ignoring. As Trungpa Rinpoche noted, “Compassion automatically invites you to relate with people because you no longer regard people as a drain on your energy.” We can afford to do more than “I’m gonna ignore the news and hope all this blows over” and “good vibes only” mentality. ~ Waylon}

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There is so much wrong with Trump that one hardly knows where to begin, and to begin is doubtless a trap we would be better to avoid.

The point of the following essay is about the futility of thinking politics unless we are willing to devote our time to that enterprise.

News events are good for conversation, but it seems we always walk away from such discussions unsatisfied. It is sort of like a cow’s cud, which is chewed when nothing is in the trough.

But, if we find ourselves inclining to check the news or discuss it, and instead pause for a moment and question whether or not there might be something more worthy lurking in a corner of our mind, we would probably be better off. News is a distraction. Not much changes in news year in and year out except the names and places. The context is the same, like poor fiction, with familiar tropes reworked again and again. We can do better than that and should.

If our interest in news has anything of value in it, it would be as a gauge for measuring our own life and how engaged we are in it. It is easy to be distracted when not engaged in affairs relevant to one’s own well-being. Trump does not care about the well-being of the people who elected him, or anyone else, obviously, yet there are those who would disagree. But no matter the side you are on, when the discussion turns to Trump, it is a sign that the conversation may as well be about the weather.

There are many things we can do nothing about, and politics and the weather are two of them. We need not discuss anything simply because nothing else comes to mind. We are exposed to media whose survival depends on our culpability to be lured into thinking and discussing it. Every time we tune in, we tune out our brain and support a system of information which has no more interest in our welfare than Trump.

Time is valuable, but it does not need to be occupied 24/7. There is a peculiar impulse in us human beings that we must be thinking of something or other whether alone or conversing with others. “Muni” is a Sanskrit word meaning silent sage and the Munnis’ seem to be the only ones able to not only get away with silence but are idolized for it. You and I would be viewed as peculiar not entering a conversation with friends, or walking or sitting with a blank mind. Nevertheless, being silent and feeling a bit awkward may be the best option when the other is discussing the red and the blue.

There is a famous documentary (and photo), “One Fine Day in Harlem,” where about 70 years ago a photographer gathered about 20 of the world’s leading jazz musicians together for a photo. The photo is iconic. The photographer later interviewed all the musicians, and they talked about that day together. Louis Armstrong told of all the fun they had gossiping and noted the silence of Thelonious Monk, and how they all thought it peculiar. But he goes on to say that eventually Thelonious said something so profound that they all shut up to absorb it.

We don’t always know what we are thinking unless we give ourselves space to become aware of it. There are two temptations that interfere with this process: one, getting involved in a conversation when the writing is already on the wall, and two, thinking if we don’t, we had better busy our mind with something else. While the latter would be the better of the two options, best would be to leave the mind alone and observe it. This “Thelonius” approach might just be our ticket to escape Trump talk.

While history is educational, current events are not. A middle ground for anyone who cannot avoid the daily news would be to study world history. (My addiction to news was satisfactorily cured this way.) Then, at least, something would be learned about how we have gotten into the mess we are in. As is often the case, the macro-cosmos often is reflected in the micro-cosmos, ourselves, and through a study of history we may learn something useful about ourselves and how not to make the mistakes that greed, anger, and carelessness have led nations to make. If we are to be entertained, history trumps Trump and his derivatives.

While there may be some good-hearted public servants who want to devote their life to changing the current political reality, and we should acknowledge and be thankful for their work, it is unlikely we are willing to be meaningfully involved in politics. Non-involvement would therefore be our best option for our own sanity and going forward in our personal lives and the best way to make the world a better place.

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