Donald and I in Crisis

It's interesting in how during times of turmoil and challenge, a man is shown his true colors. But not all are called to rise to this challenge, if they bother to rise at all. Therefore, it's important to know what to do during a dire moment that is greater than the capability of the individual experiencing it. I speak, of course, of Donald Trump and myself; each with our respect crises.

The Crisis I Face

The crisis I face is a simple one; lack of a job and lack of funds while still required to fulfill obligations and responsibilities handed to me through my living on God's Blue/Brown/Red/Green/White-clouded Earth. It's a micro-crisis of sorts. Focusing on a field of work that is in line with the career path I choose from my time out in the 'Wilderness' of Arizona before returning home to North Carolina. So far, the fruit has yet to bear, but perhaps it was not in season yet, despite my continued search. I heard the news stories: Unemployment at record low, Jobs everywhere. A few concerns to this claim. The primary concern is the compensation these jobs provide. Are they adequate enough to become self-sufficient? Can you work these jobs and have enough income left over for discretionary spending or do you remain, as one man put it, "Just Over Broke?" A job can cause this scenario of simply being "Just Over Broke" and thus you are not working for self-sufficiency and growth, rather you are simply dependent on working hand-to-mouth: the working poor. Credit Cards and Loans (of all stripes) do not hesitate to send letters of "aid" and "assistance" while the government is known to be previously hesitant on that same ideology. Next of course is the housing situation; the first casualty in this crisis. I have no home, despite creating this article. Yes, I am at a home, it is not my own, and the debt I owe to this home can never be truly repaid. Not until I can achieve employment and a sense of worth great enough to not only take care of the current home I'm in but the home that is meant for me and the homes of my family. This will take time, effort, and patience but above all, faith. Finally, I will need to put contingencies and practices into place that ensures I don't end up in this same situation. If I fail to learn from history, I am doomed to repeat it; you only get so many times to start over, if at all possible, before it becomes irreversible. I understand my failings, but more to the point, I know I must overcome my own grief and continue to focus on the job to come; that requires preparation and the faith to see the fruits of the efforts by these actions. This is the crisis in my life, but for Donald, his crisis is multiplied.

The Crisis Donald Faces

As of this article, the outbreak of a strain of coronavirus known as COVID-19 has, for a small window of a few months prior, become a pandemic; a world-wide threat of virulent disease. The situation Donald faces is three-fold; the first being the act of laying to rest any fears the nation would have. He chose to ignore the potential problem as something that will go away in a few short weeks, and cases will go down in time.

Hubber's Note: I'm taking the liberty to alter the precise verbiage used under the Trump Administration for broader context. There is a greater understanding to be had here.

Viruses are not stayed by nations nor swayed by leaders, and thus the credibility of that claim was immediately disproven. This leads to the second claim of action; that safeguards and teams were in place to deal with the threat and that the assistance of other nations was unnecessary. This brought out levels of the outbreak that continued to spread unchecked for some time (as of this article). Keep in mind, we are now getting more relevant data in regards to the current situation, and there is a possibility that Donald while stating that he tested negative for the virus, may actually have the disease. The information is not accurate to fully rule the possibility out. Also, during this time, the rise of Spring Allergies due to pollen and seasonal changes coming from Flu Season will only exacerbate the validity of such tests. He is not a trusted source at this time.

Finally, and this is the telling moment for Donald: the economy. To those that understand the business of business, economies constantly fluctuate. Donald believes that the economy will be unaffected by this outbreak, even if it arrives, and that businesses will not need to shut down. Since the economy is not alive in the same sense as biological life, there is truth to this. Therein lies the problem, while not alive in our sense, it is alive in how interactions with people affect its existence. A pandemic of an unknown viral strain will cause people to hesitate to go out of their homes. Those infected must be quarantined, which will strain not only hospitals for safety measures but also businesses in both lost revenue and required compensation to those employees (aka sick leave) if such a program is even available. As many experts and survivalists have clearly stated, such burdens will be great on the existing infrastructure.

Donald, under his belief system, has elected to disregard such issues beforehand. It was only until after the damage was severe that he was required to take action on all fronts. However, the damage had taken great root and while this too shall pass, it will not pass quietly nor painlessly.

What Should Donald and I Learn From This?

There are three takeaways to be gained from this experience that we should both use to not only learn from these moments but also to grow from them:

1. Ownership of Responsibility. This is not as great of an issue for me as it is for Donald. I do take ownership of my problems, mostly, but I tend to dwell too greatly on the problem than plan and prepare for the future while learning from this past crisis. I fear that Donald is not one for responsibility for when the going gets tough; this could explain some of his life choices. However, at some point, he will have to come to terms with his decisions and must take ownership of all of them, the good and the bad.
2. Pro-action than Reaction. We both share this problem as we both are reactive creatures. It's only after we experience a crisis do we do something about it. I'm blessed by God that the consequences are relatively contained in my life, but they are lasting nonetheless. Had I taken steps to prepare in advance, seeing the warning signs long before the problem arise, being more attentive to details in my personal life, studying and honing the craft and character of who I am, the crisis would not be as lasting. For Donald, one that has not seen the need for pro-action even during his business ventures, this will be tougher for him to implement. Time is against him in regards to learning new and more open-minded tactics.
3. Crises will always come. It's a part of life, not that there will always be storms every time, but that there are moments that test who we are, and where our help comes from. In my case, my help comes from God, my family (immediate, church, family-friends, relatives), my friends and friends' friends. I don't know if Donald ever reached out to anyone for help. That may be the reason why we are in the crisis we're facing now...perhaps his fear of opening up to other people out of perceived reprisal is what prevents him from being the best he could possibly be. Could it be that he doesn't know who he is?

Conclusion

When faced with challenges in life, we must always learn from them, no matter if it's a personal or national crisis. Just learn from these moments and grow each time, otherwise, when such a situation happens again, we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes.