Election night fever dreams and what comes next?

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

~1 Corinthians 13:13

Oh, you thought this was just a bicycle blog? Do you know me?

 

I had a plan for election night. It involved taking a trip and chatting with God. Then I moved to Georgia. Direct conversation with The Almighty is discouraged 'round these parts, so I had to stay in this earthly realm. 

Not to fear though. It was my wedding anniversary and I spent the day chilling with my wife, getting picked up when our car broke down, having some ho hum food, and organizing the massive amount of stuff that revolves around me like Starlink satellites orbits the Earth.  I did a decent job of keeping myself off the media and thus went to bed not really knowing what was shaking out with the election. Then I could wake up rested and ready to tackle the future of this country, come what may.

However, the collective unconscious had other ideas.  I believe that we are all connected on the spiritual level. Just in the way a sheep at 7 o'clock position in the herd circle knows that there is a wolf at 1 o'clock, so to can humans transmit their sense that a wolf is at the door. And goodness gracious, what a battalion of bleating goats humanity is on the astral plane at the moment. 

My dreams betrayed your tension.  The first act of the last nights dream went this way.  

I was down by a creek I just discovered here in Georgia. Its roughly here. 

I was standing on a narrow wedge of log like you would use in a campfire and my head was in a noose, hands tied behind me. I was watching myself, third party omnipotent style. I watched me teeter on this log and suddenly it tipped and Anthony was hanging. Anthony's face flushed red and the veins began to stand out in his face and neck turning brighter purple and bulging as they fought to overcome the strangulation of the rope that was digging into his flesh and causing bleeding.  The means of execution was not meant to kill swiftly but rather to prolong the suffering, feet kicking just half a foot above the ground , the branch Anthony was tethered to bouncing under his weight. 

Eyes bulging, spittle oozing from my mouth I watched myself stare off in search of that never ending talk with God.

The next act was related because as Anthony was done dying in the first act I looked down at my hands and the fingernails were all gone. Open and bloody, a series of mushroom pipettes sprouted from them and began to grow and envelope my arms and body. Even as I write this my reaction is so visceral that I get goose bumps. In the dream I began to flail and that was when I woke up. 

Heart racing, gasping for breath, the flailing really taking place in this life. I reached for my phone knowing exactly what I would find. A dead heat. Both sides terrified the other was going to ruin their party, busy sending their anxiety into the universe like waves of destruction crashing upon the shore. 

Why? Why couldn't it have been a blow out one way or the other? 

If it had been a blow out for either side then the losing side would have had to reevaluate the country they thought they knew.  Instead we have this.  This cluster fuck of two sides thinking they're just about evenly matched and not willing to back down.  On the blue side you have the numbers by population and the thrust of economic activity.  On the red side the vast majority of territory and most of the guns.  Each side in their heart of hearts knows they are right. The question that is on everyone's minds is "Are we willing to fight over knowing we are right? 

I don't know, I don't know. It's one hell of a pickle you've gotten us in. Maybe not you directly. 

But certainly, 

without a doubt, 

you and I, 

The Royal We 

are in a pickle.

How does one tie up such an article? I don't know and neither do you.  We've not had to write such things during our time in this nation.  

Perhaps have a read of publications from Sarajevo in the mid 90's, listen to some news radio clips from Rawanda in the same period, or read this book  and let me know if  a second American civil war sounds like a good idea to you. 

Take a deep breath.  Remind me to take a deep breath.  There are no wolves at the door my friends, its just us. We are acting scared of ourselves.  Do not fear yourself, love yourself. 

Then, dare I say it? 

Love the others as you would love yourself. 

~A