I Never Feel Like Less of an American ….

By Deepak Chopra, MD

I never feel like less of an American than when idealistic teenagers call for gun control, and I know Congress won’t let it happen.

I never feel like less of an American than when the richest people abandon the poorest.

I never feel like less of an American than when a President lies, and his supporters applaud.

Sometimes it takes the experience of shame to galvanize change, and this is such a time.  Having lived too long on the self-image of “America is the greatest, richest, most powerful country in the world,” we produced Trumpism, which has shattered that image. It’s been a traumatic experience. Mature adults are supposed to be resilient in the face of difficult challenges, but a person can bend only so far. That’s why one sees an outraged Resistance, moving from “He’s not my President” to “Is this even my country?”

If as we often hear, America isn’t a place on the map but an idea, the idea is in trouble. Every day I’m reminded of Sinclair Lewis’s 1935 novel, It Can Happen Here, which imagined the election of a Fascist to the presidency.  As tumultuous as the Thirties were, fascism didn’t happen here. In fact, the New Deal and the inception of a social safety net came about. But reactionary forces simmer away when they aren’t at a boil. Who would have thought that the leader of the House in 2018 wants to weaken the social safety net by “saving” Social Security and Medicare?

A survey of 117 historians recently ranked Donald Trump the worst President in history, which seems right after only one year in office. But what makes me feel like less of an American is knowing that 40% of my fellow citizens love and approve of him, who have reservations, yes, but overall want his agenda to move ahead. In the daily fire hose of presidential offenses, little attention was paid to the revelation by Reince Priebus, former White House chief of staff, that however chaotic this Presidency looked from the outside, it was worse on the inside–fifty times worse. 

Trumpism is the product of collective consciousness, and although one hears about “the wisdom of crowds,” but when collective consciousness veers as close to lunacy as this administration, healing is the only answer. Reactionary forces, racists, white supremacists, and haters are like algae on the surface of a pond.  Algae only appears if the pond is dank and still. When water is clear and flowing, there is no condition for algae to thrive in.

The remedies for healing America are flowing with more force than before. Notions like Medicare for all, free higher education, and bringing huge banks to heel were semi-fantasy in the last Presidential election. Now they are quickly moving mainstream. Ecological awareness is growing and unstoppable. There is a possibility that by destroying America’s self-image, Trumpism has opened the way for facing reality, which after all is better than living up to a self-image that is hollow at the core.

In the meantime, each person needs to remain resilient and relevant. The structure of government moves slowly, and it took decades of incremental moves for the reactionary right to gain the power it presently holds tight. If the midterm elections don’t restore sanity, then collective consciousness is more wounded than we imagine. Without a doubt Trumpism is horrifying, but the grievances it represents are real. Address those grievances honestly and with a clear conscience: that’s the only remedy. 

Deepak Chopra MD, FACP, founder of The Chopra Foundation and co-founder of The Chopra Center for Wellbeing, is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation, and is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Endocrinology and Metabolism.  He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. Chopra is the author of more than 80 books translated into over 43 languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers. His latest books are The Healing Self co-authored with Rudy Tanzi, Ph.D. and Quantum Healing (Revised and Updated): Exploring the Frontiers of Mind/Body Medicine.  www.deepakchopra.com