"On Borrowed Time” (Linkedin)

My new article on Linkedin “On Borrowed Time”

A few hours after the results come in, the winner of the 2020 presidential election will come on stage, thank his supporters, thank his rival for a tough race, and promise that he will be everyone’s president, not just of those who elected him. But when a country is so deeply divided between them and us, it is doubtful any president can patch up America.

I realize that an election year is always tense, but the convergence of the elections, the Covid-19 pandemic, natural disasters, escalating racial tensions and distrust between law enforcement and citizens, have created a perfect storm that puts America at risk of collapse. I believe that the country is on borrowed time, and it is running out fast.

To make America one again, you need more than words, you need a common goal. When people of differing views share a common goal their different viewpoints contribute to the attainment of the goal, since they can cover more angles, look at things from different perspectives, and reflect problems that the other party did not think of before they materialize. But when each party sees the country as its own possession and cares about making its own constituency happy in order to be reelected, you’re bound to deepen the chasm and exacerbate the anger.

Currently, America is en route to mayhem. There is complete distrust between Democrats and Republicans, Conservatives and Progressives. The trust was already broken four years ago, but this year it has become overt enmity and hatred. I’m all for frankness, but when you take pride in your derision of another and do not intend to mend it, you are sowing wind, and you will reap the storm.

I realize that an election year is always tense, but the convergence of the elections, the Covid-19 pandemic, natural disasters, escalating racial tensions and distrust between law enforcement and citizens, have created a perfect storm that puts America at risk of collapse. I believe that the country is on borrowed time, and it is running out fast.

The only way out of the plight is to put the benefit of the overall American society first, and with that approach see how to assist each segment of the country. No segment will thrive if not all of them thrive. But if the American people can rise above centuries of division and come to feel as one nation, they will become a beacon of hope for humanity. If not, the world will watch as America falls.