It's Time for a Lifestyle Change

No more politics. 

No more news. 

I'm getting off those trains and taking a new path for my remaining days on earth.

Call it cocooning. Retreating from humanity. Hiding. I don't care. With Trump in the Oval Office, I can no longer bare any reminders of him and the authoritarian government he's installing. It's like poking the bear and I see red.

Enough.

I'm taking the most peaceful path I can and that means my exposure to people will be more limited than it is now. I'm disgusted with a majority of Americans who are now following that fascist orange clown's destruction of our democratic lifestyle.

Time for changes.

My wife and I are looking into how mindfulness meditation can improve our daily journey. There are tons of videos on YouTube, lasting from 10 minutes to hours.

What is mindfulness meditation?

Mindfulness meditation is a mental training practice that teaches you to slow down racing thoughts, let go of negativity, and calm both your mind and body.

It's something millions of anti-Trump people should consider if they want to get through the next four years and cling to their sanity.

Because I'm a combat veteran (Vietnam/Cambodia) who saw too many horrors I have PTSD. Living with it hasn't been easy but I've managed thus far. This new challenge is calling for me to make the biggest lifestyle change yet. As a retired newspaper man (editor and publisher) I've always followed the news and politics. I've commented on both in the last four decades with regularity.

To save my sanity I have to step back from the Toxic News sites on TV, Cable, and Social Media outlets. No more.

About 40 years ago I use to paint with oils. I even actually sold some of my artwork. For some reason - probably because of extreme pressures at the time - I stopped. Now it's time for me to pull out my brushes and oil paints and to become one with my art again.

There are plenty of things to do that produce good vibes and my goal is to live out my final days (just turned 74) by pursuing positive activities. That includes more exercise and other hobbies. And spending more time with loved ones. 

You can call me a coward, or a turtle hiding in his shell. It doesn't matter. I don't care what people think about me anymore. I just want to live in peace and if that means not being aware of what's happening in the country or the world, so be it.

As it Stands, I can't change what's happening in the world. I voted for Democracy, but now it's in a death spiral and I don't want to watch the carnage. The only thing I can change is myself and how I cope with life.

Democracy Just Died: Trump Cult is in Charge of America

As a student of history I've always maintained that when America falls it will be from within. 

Unfortunately, it looks like I was right. 

When Trump seized the reins of power in this presidential election the United States of America ceased to exist. Democracy died.

We now have a dictator who plans on taking retribution against his perceived enemies like political opponents and anyone that dares stand up to his agenda of carnage. At least four years of hate, racism, and authoritarian rule face the average American. Possibly for a lifetime if Trump gets his way. And he does get his way a lot.

Our enemies will become our new allies, and our old allies will become our new enemies. NATO will be under siege like never before. The world order is shifting hard to the right which bodes ill for people's freedoms.

Stop.

I can't keep up with this madness. I'm a retired journalist - a newspaper editor and publisher. I've spent decades covering news and politics and now I have to turn my back on them because I can't handle what's happened with Trump. It's triggering my PTSD. I'm a Vietnam combat veteran who never fully came home. And I have to protect myself now.

I stopped writing this blog last May because I was getting overwhelmed by the hatred and chaos Trump was spreading throughout the country. So, I gave myself a six-month break.

I just turned 74 years old. I don't have that much time left in this world. I've been fighting medical issues (recently had vascular surgery) and I don't want to deal with the madness. It's too depressing. I'm no longer going to write about politics. Period. Frankly, I don't know what I'm going to write about going forward.

Right now, I'm mad and disappointed with my fellow Americans who have allowed our republic to get to this point. I attribute it to fearmongering, racism, and the rise of a cult like this nation had never seen before. Disinformation and outright lies that have flooded the American media in the last 10 years has finally taken its toll. 

This may sound mean, but I have no sympathy for the Hispanic men (who turned out in droves) and voted for Trump making the difference in the crucial swing states.  When they have family members who suddenly get deported in a mass deportation (as Trump has promised) their votes will come back to haunt them. Millions of Americans charmed by the master grifter and traitor will slowly watch their freedoms disappear in the days and years ahead. 

As it stands, it's no longer the America I grew up in and that really makes me sad. And mad.