I’ve been highly critical of Donald Trump, both the man and the candidate. But, believe it or not, there was a time when I admired him.
Like many people, I read The Art of the Deal…a long time ago. I was inspired by that famous line, where he passes a homeless guy in the street and says (paraphrasing)…”See that guy? He’s worth $999 million more than me.” It was inspiring to me that he clawed his way back despite serious setbacks. Of course, I now know that he did so in ways that hurt others.
Donald Trump has created a brand that supposedly personifies success. The underlying theme of his candidacy is “make America great again”…or, make Americans successful again…successful like him. He tells his followers that they’re going to win like they’ve never won before.
And we all want to be winners, right? We all want to be “successful.”
But can we also admit that there are varying definitions of that word, success?
That is, success can mean different things to different people, can it not?
What does it mean for Donald Trump and his followers?
Well, obviously it means having a lot of money and the power that money imparts. Trump likes to flaunt that power, whether in saying “you’re fired”, or, as we’ve recently heard, claiming that he can do anything he wants with any woman he wants.
So, it’s not so much that people want the money that Donald Trump-style success brings, but the power. People want power because power feeds the ego. The more power Trump has, the larger his ego grows. And his seeking the presidency is the greatest ego-feeding power grab of his career.
His followers are not that different. They want to win too. They want power. And their support of his candidacy for president is the greatest ego-feeding power grab of their adult lives.
Donald Trump promises to give America back to those who feel it has been stolen from them. Stolen by government and handed over to the undeserving…the immigrants, the welfare queens, the dependency class, the powerless who’ve been unjustly empowered at the expense of white male middle-class America.
However, the latest Trump revelation could very well end up being the pin-prick that let’s all the air out of his candidacy…his ego…and the hope they’ve placed in him.
But isn’t that the problem with ego? After all, it’s not even real or tangible. It’s just a bunch of air that fills the vacuum of an empty soul. The air can puff you up and make you appear larger than life, but life has a way of deflating the ego, sooner or later. We’re seeing that happen right now to Donald Trump. The rise and fall of Donald Trump is happening very publicly. Perhaps we can learn from it.
Back when I admired Donald Trump my ego was pretty puffed up, I’ll admit. These days, however, life has me feeling fairly deflated. I really don’t have much of anything to be puffed up about. But, you know what, that’s a good thing. That’s been good for me. It’s enabled me to get a better grip on who I really am.
Perhaps Donald Trump can do the same. Maybe he can finally get a grip on who he really is. If he’s able to do that, it could change him the way it changed me.
You see Donald, in life there really are no winners and losers, just players. We’re all players in this game called life. And you know what else? We’re all on the same team…the human team. It’s not necessary to win, Donald, or to feed the ego by doing so. That’s really not what life is about.
It is, however, necessary to cooperate.
The rise and fall of Donald Trump and his colossal ego could be a great event for America. It could bring about the realization that what makes America great is not winning, or the power and ego-inflation that winning imparts. It’s the cooperation that comes from celebrating our differences and moving forward, together, despite them.
And that could be a very good thing.
I talk a lot about these topics in my new book, The Impact Revolution. I talk a lot about the Big US and about moving forward, together, to create a better world.
You can get it on Amazon from the link below…
