The amniotic sac that protects a fetus in its most vulnerable state of being is very similar to dignity. Once we are born, dignity’s job is to provide a protective barrier that surrounds our character where the good stuff—our virtues and values—reside. Dignity is the guardian of the soul; it keeps us whole and uncompromised. It reminds us as often as necessary that we are worthy while communicating a sense of resilience to those who might wish us harm. Our dignity is hallowed ground upon which no one should be allowed to tread. Those who either willingly discard their dignity, or otherwise sacrifice it in the face of adversity, expose the essence of who they are—their character—to manipulation and destruction. Without a dignity-emboldened character, we become pawns to be used and abused by others.
As the journalist Adam Serwer argued, for Trump and his lickspittle lieutenants, “cruelty is the point” of everything they do. Rather than giving much credit to Trump, however, Serwer illustrates how this appetite for cruelty has ebbed and flowed through human history and the Trump era is just a modern manifestation of the cruel-tool’s application. Machiavelli’s The Prince (1532) illustrates the utility of cruelty well. Five-hundred years hence, in virtually every form of oppression, from racism to misogynism to religious persecution to all forms of bigotry, cruelty is used to bend and break people to the will of the tyrant, even those wannabe tyrants who veil themselves in patriotism and populism while claiming democratic virtues which, of course, is all a con.
I take Serwer’s point, but I believe he misses cruelty’s more fundamental objective: to strip people of their dignity so they succumb to feelings of worthlessness and submit to the tyrant’s wishes. In most, if not all, of Trump’s history, whether in business, personal, or political endeavors, his approach is the same: tear people down to wear them out and take advantage of them. Have you ever heard of Trump lifting someone up and empowering their life? Where are those testimonials? He strips people of their dignity by any means possible, rips their character out, and feasts on their souls. His admiration for Putin, Kim, Xi, and Netanyahu are all evidence of his desire to out-cruel the world’s most cruel actors. His life’s ambition appears to be to win the title of “World’s Biggest Bully.”
Trump’s infamous claim that he can just “grab ‘em by the pussy” seems somehow quaint today as he is now moving on to destroy the welfare and lives of everyone from federal workers and public servants to immigrants to scientists to professors and allies with complete disregard for the rule of law, let alone intelligence and basic common sense. Crush people’s spirits to do with them as he wishes. It is bizarre that he is the president of what once was the “land of the free and home of the brave.” While he bloviates, Lady Liberty weeps. It’s no wonder France has asked for her return.
If we believe Trump’s appetite will be sated by his immediate targets, like federal workers or federal judges, we are fools. If you are a woman, person of color, disabled, older, a veteran, or LBGTQ—which collectively is most of America—you are a potential target for his wrath. Someday soon, just writing this essay may subject me to being classified by Trump’s Department of Justice or State Department as a domestic terrorist; our First Amendment be damned. Trump is the biggest glutton for power to ever occupy our White House. He will stop at nothing to consume his many targets of vengeance and to feed his ego. This is not a cry of wokeism, it is simple realism.
Meanwhile, Democrats fiddle and diddle weeping over their victim’s soup like orphans in a Charles Dickens’ novel; hardly a source of inspiration or comfort. It may be too soon to invoke the post-Holocaust warning of the German pastor, Martin Niemöller, “then they came for me,” but we must also be clear-eyed about what is going on and realize we may slip into anarchy more easily than we can stop the slide.
What is very clear, having now watched Trump ignore the orders of our federal judges, is that there is no roadblock to stop him. He is doing as he wishes regardless of our laws, justice system, or our Constitution. Trump apologists and enablers beware: you are not immune either. Once your utility is gone, he will discard you, too. See: Rudy Giuliani, Chris Christie, John Kelly, Mike Pence, Mark Milley, John Bolton, Nikki Haley, Rex Tillerson, Mike Pompeo, and many more. As Machiavelli might warn Trump’s current cadre of sycophants like Musk, Vance, Rubio, et al, watch your backs—your throw-away date may be sooner than you think. For Trump enthusiasts still cheering him on, enjoy it while it lasts; he cares as much for you as he does your next vote, which he no longer needs.
It is jarring to realize that preserving our dignity must now be our priority. For most of our history in America, dignity has been considered inviolable—a right of being that needed no proclamation or law. It could certainly be lost, but usually by our own abdication. It was ours to lose rather than someone else’s to take. We must embrace new perspectives and practices to safeguard this essential armor of our character. The sanctity of our dignity must not be compromised.
Our most fundamental perspective must be resolute, reinforced with a simple mantra: we are worthy. As worthy (if not more worthy) than Trump, Musk, and his MAGA zealots. We can further preserve ourselves by the following practices.
- See things as they are, not as you might wish them to be. Accepting things as they are is essential to our mental well-being. It also assures we don’t waste time and energy chasing false, or manufactured realities. We must suspend the many filters our ego places before our eyes to fool us into believing things are other than the way they are. In the case of Trump, our mistakes in the past have been disbelieving that he would actually do what he threatens, what some have called a “failure of imagination.” In his first term there were guardrails; now there are none. It is time we saw him for what he is and what he does rather than hoping it is not so. At this point, giving him the benefit of the doubt is not shame on him, it is shame on us.
- Be highly selective with your engagements. One of the great skills in life is knowing what not to pay attention to. The old 80/20 rule holds that 80% of what we tend to has no bearing whatsoever on those outcomes we desire to realize. Whether people, organizations, and especially the deluge of media we encounter, we must be stingy with our engagement. Ignore the clowns. The test I have used throughout my life to gauge my willingness to engage with anything or anyone is, does the thing (person, organization, investment opportunity, or whatever) respond to intelligence? If it doesn’t, discard and move on.
- Nurture the balance inherent in equanimity. Avoid the highs and lows. Live in a state of balance—of equilibrium. Being solid in your physical, mental, and emotional states produces a strength that is difficult to assail. Many years ago, during a wilderness skills course I attended through the National Outdoor Leadership School, I learned the value of the ABCs of backpacking. Your backpack must be packed with consideration of A for access, B for balance, and C for compression to affect a comfortable journey. In our current challenges, we should move through the world with a disposition of C for clarity, E for empathy, and F for fortitude with our shoulders back and our eyes on the horizon (or higher). Do not wallow or whine.
- Support, defend, and protect others as you would wish to be supported, defended, and protected by others. This is an extension of the Golden Rule and the lesson offered in Matthew 25 regarding doing for the “least of these” as an act of service to God. Christ’s lesson was that the truly worthy of blessings act to serve others as a fundamental responsibility of a life well lived. Kindness cost nothing; the return on that investment is infinite. Making eye contact with a smile on your face to offer your support may change that person’s day, week, or life. Being seen and appreciated is the most basic form of love.
- Focus on intent first, and results second (if at all). Although we may not be able to control outcomes, we can control our intentions, particularly with regard to the intention that guides our responses to outcomes. All we can do is to assure our intentions are pure and true. An elemental difference between western and eastern philosophy is that in the West we focus on results while in the East they focus on intentions. This difference is based in the importance in eastern philosophy of the present moment (as opposed to the future or past) where our intentions can be expressed with certainty. Of course, good intentions also often produce good outcomes, but what we do control—and should take care to form—is the intention with which we act.
If you happened to catch the show 60 Minutes last Sunday, March 16th, you would have seen the story about many young musicians of color who had been selected to come to Washington D.C. to play in an orchestra with members of the United States Marine Corp Band. It was organized by the non-profit organization Equity Arc in an effort to expose these young musicians to other master musicians to inspire them to continue their love of music and performing as they went on to graduate from high school. In Trump’s DEI hysteria, he cancelled the event since these students were of color. But Equity Arc and CBS decided to make it happen with Marine Corp Band alumni who were not prohibited from participating by Trump’s proclamation eliminating anything that smells of DEI. In the end, many came together to protect the dignity of the students and make the meeting happen even while our president did what he could to wound the students and destroy the event. Listening to the kids and the mentor-musicians is indeed inspiring. I recommend watching the segment here. This is what is meant by protecting the sanctity of dignity in the face of a wannabe tyrant’s wrath, which leads to my final, sixth, recommendation.
- Celebrate the victories. Like the story on 60 Minutes, we must all rally around those who, in the face of Trump’s wrath, defy his attempts to destroy our dignity. We must stand strong alone and together to get to the other side of this era of pointless cruelty. We must hold fast to what America was before the Age of Deceit that Trump has now fully co-opted as his own. We must prevail one day at a time and applaud those who rise above the madness. We must summon our best selves.
At this point, the only way out is through.
