Thunder Pass and the Box Canyon

Looking west at Mount Richthofen, 12,940 feet.
Thunder pass, elevation 11,331 feet, divides the continent.

Thunder Pass

There is a chapter in my book, Election 2016, titled “Thunder Pass”. Ironically, it is the shortest chapter in the book but makes a most important point about personality and the Law of Attraction. It asks three important questions: Who are you? What do you think? Where do you want to be?

“Thunder Pass” was inspired by a hike I took in 2007, long before any of this (impeachment) could be known. The hike itself is not so strenuous or long, but can be dangerous because of frequent storms that rise up quickly. Seemingly out of nowhere. Literally, “out of the clear blue sky”. Because of that, circumstance can change in an instant. There are no guarantees of safety.

That is and is not exactly true. Often we’re just not paying attention and don’t see the one thing that leads to another. So we miss the foundations and formations, the beginning of things. We act only when we’re engulfed in the storm. We don’t see or understand all the connections. Like the risk necessary for the reward. Sometimes risk proves unwise, and sometimes you lose. You earn your fate, but that there is no guarantee of success.

Because of the risk, the hike is not for everyone. For some, the box canyon is far enough.

Thunder Pass and Box Canyon trailhead
Thunder Pass trailhead.

Box Canyon life

In the box canyon there’s a campground, granite walls for protection, trees for fuel and shelter, fresh water to drink. Fish and game for meat. A person could stay there safe and sound, seemingly forever. Then again, those capable might well head out and keep going over Thunder Pass. Just because that’s their nature, their style. Risk-takers by nature, they were born that way. Yes, Born under a wandering star. What’s on the other side? Maybe love?

Personality

In previous posts I’ve wrote about personality – the five W’s of it: who, what, where, when, and why. And it’s importance because it drives behavior. In the proceeding post I wrote about the difference between an entrepreneur and a bureaucrat. One is a risk taker and the other a rule maker, and follower.

It’s funny, Democrats, liberals, and progressives (the Left) are thought to be more open minded, creative, artistic, etc. I don’t think that’s necessarily true. They want to be, sure, and like to consider themselves such. But watching this whole election cycle, from June of 2015 up to today, the evidence doesn’t match. I think many of them are neurotic and introverted. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. The tribe needs all kinds to survive. Some who are risk takers and others more cautious.

Anger

Those on the Left are so angry. I wrote about that in the book. Where the anger comes from and why. All of this anger has had a terrible effect on everyone, everywhere. Me, included. I was careless and caught off guard. Never saw it coming and was struck down by its force and power.  It’s taken me years to recover from the strike. Trump Derangement Syndrome it’s called. I wrote a chapter about that, also.

Where are we going from here? I don’t know. I’m concerned though, which is not my usual state of mind. Generally I’m confident and self-assure, but I was hurt by all the vitriol and needed two years of therapy to recover. The Left became immersed in groupthink, completely intolerant and inflexible when it came to free thinking or analysis. If anger isn’t dealt with properly it can, and usually does, lead to violence.

Dreamer candidates

In a recent interview, Andrew Yang, an entrepreneur and one of what I call the Dreamer candidates, said: “Oh my gosh, we’ve learned nothing.” He was speaking of the Democrats and the Clinton campaign of attacking Trump. To the impeachment he said, “It’s a loser.” But more broadly he was speaking about the last thirty years of strife and struggle, the suffering of America’s middle class – the loss of jobs to automation and the failure of the political class to address this. “There are discrete winners and losers with all these big moves. In America we’re ignoring the losers and they’re getting pissed off because we’re bullshitting them.” Then he laughed. I suspect because he knows that he can’t win, and but he’ll be fine.

He can’t win because he doesn’t fit into the radical victimology of the mainstream Democrats ideology. Nor can the other three Dreamer candidates: Sanders, Gabbard, and Williamson. In fact, if we (humans) were actually who we are led to believe we are–kind, loving, caring, compassionate, and altruistic–Marianne Williamson would win in a landslide.

There is a reason I call them dreamers. First, they’re not really Democrats because they’re risk takers, empowered individuals who believe in themselves. They are actually Independents, who are really Republicans. All are authentic independent thinkers.

I suspect that if they sat down with the President and had a conversation, they might be able to work things out and make true changes. Trump is the only one capable of taking on the system. He’s proven that, but he needs help, not attacks, or nothing will get done.

The Yang interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKuZppYwnq4

 

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