Shortly before midnight we were awoken by the startling sound and flashing light of a fire alarm on the bedroom ceiling. It turned out that the recently installed system backfired. Apparently an ensuing communication between the building manager and a representative of the fire department disclosed a malfunction in the north wing stairwell of the building. It was a fitting start to the end of the Trump presidency.
“I wish the new administration great luck and great success,” Trump said. “I think they’ll have great success.“
Donald J. Trump, reality show entertainer
The global interest in the missteps of the United States of America in the past four years during the Trump administration is unprecedented. The draw is nothing more than astonishment because of Trump’s inferiority and the inexplicable support of his so-called base. The collective embarrassment and apology of Americans is at last relieved by the proof and admission of Trump’s relentless lies. The unforgivable madness was metaphorically illustrated by the Trump supporters’ ransacking on January 6th of the seat of Congress in Washington DC. In Trump’s muted farewell this morning from Andrews Air Force Base he reiterated his confusion by suggesting the COVID crisis would “skyrocket downwards“.
Meanwhile in a different part of town – nearby Trump’s erstwhile residence in the White House – President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. and Vice-president Kamala Harris were inaugurated amidst the splendour of American flags and celebrities. By contrast to Trump’s absurd rhetoric President Biden delivered a calming but heartening speech. Significantly former Vice-president Mike Pence was in attendance though Trump was not.
The palpable solace felt by the world today is but a blip in the daily life of most people. Though Trump’s chaos for the past four years has been fodder for the media and for idle table talk generally, his departure has merely spirited his accelerated ruin and the return to normalcy. It is a small compliment. No one imagines that the universe is suddenly cleansed of its hysteria; but we can all bear the deprivation of Trump’s repeated fuelling of division and his demonstration of intellectual deficiency.
The fresh cold air and clear blue skies which coloured the atmosphere in Washington DC this morning were echoed northerly here in Canada. Following Biden’s inauguration I redeposited myself within my own private focus, admittedly light years away but nonetheless personally uplifting. Whatever grandeur attended the inauguration ceremony, the simple truth is that there is a limit of experience on this planet for each one of us no matter where positioned. I am thus noticeably propelled to digest life’s qualified episode. The scope of one’s diet is always an issue; but I have learned that accommodation is itself a cultivated régime. One can feed a fire with twigs or logs. In my opinion one burns more favourably than the other, regarding both heat and light not to mention the avoidance of unnecessary or regretful repetition.
The further transition continues through the winter climate and the unforeseen inevitability of the pandemic. Parents cope with children caught in the web; others struggle with unemployment and debt. The threat of illness is not as punishing for some but it is a reality too great for others. We all agree that we miss the social activity of family and friends, dining out and travel. Music is perpetually soothing.