Hope is a feeling of desire for a particular something to happen; a want.

Everyone needs to have at least some hope in order to keep their present morale up. Hope strengthens the immune system and consequently physical health.

“Live in the present, because that is all you have, the “NOW.”

How many times have you heard this admonition? Yet, the past and future are important also. It is a sort of illusion of time.

Although your life is the present, the past has influenced your present greatly and the future is the need which is essential to the present’s morale, having something to look forward to. Take away a person’s future and their present collapses.

The future will become the present, so you want to prepare for it. The present is important because it’s your reality. It’s also the time to prepare for a later reality, the future.

You need hope to keep moving forward. But with hope, letdown is possible!

Where there is little or no hope, there is hopelessness, otherwise known as depression.

Resignation is the reaction to depression. It is a feeling of accepting the knowledge that what has been desired will NOT be attained. But you still keep on, keeping on!

“Time is flying!” How many times have you heard that?

Time goes faster when you’re older for a few reasons:

When we are old, we have more past than future.

The young perceive a vast amount of time ahead of them, so time goes slower for them.

After fifty or so, our physical body slows down, so time appears to go by faster, because we are slower, but really time continues to move at the same rate!

In middle-age, everything comes and then is gone. The phrase: “And this too will pass,” is used constantly and it applies to everything and everyone.

If we are lucky enough to reach old age, the realization that we are no longer middle-aged is a devastating loss, but we must confront it.

In old age we start thinking about certain questions:

“What was the point of it all, this thing called life?”

“What is death?”

As far as the point of it all, you create your own meaning in life, it’s your responsibility.

Life is when the heart is beating, the blood keeps circulating, the lungs breathe and your brain still perceives. One is ALIVE, you eat, sleep, feel pain and joy.

In Death, there is a permanent cessation of all the vital functions: breathing ceases, the heart stops and the brain no longer reacts to stimuli, one cannot experience, think or feel. You become a corpse, fit for the worms to feed on or if cremated, ashes. There is nothing before birth and nothing after death!

So, in old age we must learn how to face death serenely, because it’s part of life.

I conclude this article with:

“ENJOY THE NOW. KEEP CALM AND DRINK WINE.”

What is your mood right now? Good or bad? Can moods be controlled? Each moment you are thinking, you’re a thinking machine, and these thoughts have an impact on the way you feel.

At this moment you’re probably thinking: Who’s this guy Writer Dave and what does he know about mood therapy? So, you’re feeling angry and annoyed.

OR: Maybe you’re feeling positive and interested. Maybe this guy Writer Dave has some information on the subject. Maybe I can learn something helpful.

So you see, your thoughts are creating your feelings and your moods. Lets define mood: it’s a state of mind; it can be good or angry, sullen and irritable.

Through cognitive therapy you can control your moods and ride the storm. All your moods, good or bad, are created by your “cognitions” or thoughts. Your thoughts at this moment actually create your mood emotion. Another thing to recognize is that your turmoil contains gross distortions and these are what make you feel upset.

Now, when you are in a bad mood, your self-image collapses, your thoughts and actions defeat you. So, what are these twisted thoughts or distortions?

Black and white thinking is one, because you failed at something you think: “That’s it, I’m a failure, a zero” Black or white, there is no gray area. Life is never just one way or another, there are always gray areas.

Sometimes you take your emotions as the absolute truth. Ex- I feel like a failure, therefore I am a failure, this is emotional reasoning which is twisted. In the end you start blaming yourself for your distorted thinking and there is no basis for doing so.

So, what can be done to control your negative moods? These are the moods that lead to self-esteem loss and a tendency to do nothing. Because when you’re in a bad mood you don’t feel like doing much and you think you are worthless.

You need to confront your internal critic, who tells you that you are no good and inferior to other people. Ex- “I never do anything right,” this is self-criticism. Now say to yourself, “Nonsense! I do a lot of things right,” this is your rational self-defense. You feel better right away by defending against the critic.

So, you can change your mood from bad to good by changing the way you think. You are not only a thinker, you are a doer too. So instead of doing nothing, get going and do something like investing time in a hobby.

Attitudes and moods are similar states; if you have a good attitude toward things you will have a good mood. Lets define attitude: it’s a way of thinking or feeling about something.

Our moods and attitudes directly affect how we feel about everything in life. Without the right attitudes we will never have the happiness or success that we so badly want. We ARE our attitudes and our attitudes ARE us!

So, you must take responsibility for your moods and attitudes. What do you say to yourself to promote that?

You say: “I take responsibility for my thoughts and attitudes and moods. I am in control of my mind.” You feel better already, right?

Now talk to yourself about your self-esteem.

You say: “I am unique and special. I like who I am and I feel good.”

Also: “ I like who I am, and it’s great to be me.”

So now, you are beginning to believe the BEST about yourself, each day and in any circumstance. Think this way and you will feel good. It’s your CHOICE! Live fully and think good thoughts.

LIFE IS FOR LIVING, OTHERWISE IT’S NOT LIFE!

As I go through the precious days until my 80^th birthday, a little over 450 days from now, I think about the “Big Questions.” Why 80? Because for me I think the time is right to examine my life in terms of meaning. But you could do it at any age.

What’s it all about? This question pops into my consciousness quite often lately. The question triggers a whole raft of other questions:

Where did life come from?

Who am I?

Why am I here?

What is the purpose of life?

It also prompts you to think about your calendar of life.

The twenties: This is the peak period of youth. There are so many things you wanted to do, but the time went too fast.

The thirties: Some maturity is added to your youth. We try many things while the flame of youth still burns.

The forties: The prime of life. The fulfillment of career and family life, which is the fruition of life. Many of us would wish this period was endless, but it isn’t!

The fifties: We start thinking philosophically because we are reaping the benefit of wisdom that was not there earlier. It’s the pinnacle of your development.

The sixties: The golden years, time seems to be speeding past us. We enjoy not struggling so much and relaxing.

The seventies: There is a feeling of time slipping by. But we still have hope in our hearts for good times.

The eighties: The stage of life where you keep looking back at the past. It all goes so fast, you didn’t realize. Do people ever realize life while they are living it?

Quoting Python’s “Meaning of Life”: Are we just spiraling coils of self-replicating DNA?

Can some of the answer to our question be in looking at our origins?

From what we know the beginning started with the Big Bang, about 15 billion years ago, then single-cell life forms popped out of the sea, and through evolution came the emergence of Homo Sapiens about 500,000 years ago. As science has progressed and we know more and more about our beginnings, God has been written out of the picture and all the answers religion has given us are not relevant now. So, we have to figure out our own meaning. I was wondering…

Can’t we just live our lives in the present and that in itself is our purpose?

Or, maybe we should look to the future. Does life’s purpose rely on the achievement of future goals? But, when you get old, if you’re lucky, mortality becomes a problem because then there will come a time when we have NO future! Goals are great but once they’re reached we need new goals, or emptiness takes over! So maybe, life’s purpose is to continue creating goals to live forward to, until the end.

If we live in the present moment and life’s purpose relies on living in these moments, then in the end, life’s purpose must slip away. Our attitudes toward our mortality are important to our sense of well-being.

My friend tells me, from his barstool: “We must seize the day to really live fully.”

He says: “Party on.”

With that we both ordered another beer. My friend continued: “The facts are simple, Dave, we are mortal, we are trapped in the present and we could die at any time. So, seize the day, why sit around agonizing over the meaning of life, you’re using up your moments!!!”

I left my friend, as he ordered another beer, and I walked out into the sunshine.

I thought: “What a wonderful thing “barstool wisdom” is.”

Then I remembered some of the wonderful moments I’ve had in my life and how fleeting they were. These moments made you feel ALIVE! But seize the day philosophy can be bittersweet, when you think of the joy of the moment and the pain of it passing.

Whatever we value in life, relationships, hugging your partner, creativity, learning, a good meal, should not be put off, we have to make everyday count. The great wisdom of carpe diem is that life is fleeting and we should not squander it.

Another friend of mine, who doesn’t drink, said:

“I don’t think about meaning, I just LIVE. I’m happy and I don’t ponder “Big Questions.” I must be doing something right.”

What I think he meant was he is content to do what he does and this is enough to make his life meaningful. Sometimes thinking too much about “Big Questions” can be a stumbling block to making life meaningful.

But, for myself, I can’t avoid thinking about “What’s it all about?” Thinking it through seems, to me, therapeutic, even if I don’t come to a final answer.

Thinking about the “Big Questions” helps me to have the power to find and determine my meaning. Which in turn makes me feel good. Each of us are different and we have to make many choices in life that only we can make to construct a worthwhile life.

NO ONE FINDS LIFE WORTH LIVING; ONE MUST MAKE IT WORTH LIVING!

I haven’t lost interest in the activities that I enjoy. I don’t have feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. I don’t find it hard to get through the day. With all my aches and pains I can still LAUGH.

I walk with a slight limp but I still manage to put one foot in front of the other. I forgave my parents for the crime of throwing me into the world with clubfeet. But I was lucky my mother got me treatment right away so I wouldn’t be a cripple.

So, at approaching eighty, I haven’t yet grown sour and bitter and I enjoy my hobby of writing. So I’ve got it licked!

Humans are the only species that are consciously aware of their own mortality. I use my mortality as a motivator to enjoy what life I have left.

It’s a great irony that humans are both brilliant and savage, caring and indifferent, creative and destructive to self and others. So, the capacity to be aware of your mortality and to conceptualize has negative and positive consequences. I never had fame or wealth but in many ways I’m glad I’m a nobody, I’m happier! I am happy I’m free to do what I want to do with some limitations.

One by one death claims your loved ones and your friends. The older you grow the faster your peers die off. Finally you stand alone and there is nothing you can say or do to prevent it.

One of my friends said to me the other day:

“The past seems horrible to me, the present is gray and desolate, and the future is appalling.”

I thank my lucky stars I don’t share that bleak viewpoint.

I don’t concern myself with the future. My past, whether good or bad, I made the most of it. I live in the present.

I have lost the illusions of youth, but I still have enthusiasm for writing because of my curiosity about anything and everything. I hope it never leaves me.

One of the best things about growing old is the ability not to take things too seriously. I still have a belly laugh once in a while.

Those who are truly living corpses, are the middle-aged people who are stuck in their ruts and imagine the status quo will last forever.

I’m in favor of offering us a painless way out when our quality of life is nil. We didn’t ask to be born, so why should we be denied the privilege of making our exit when things become unbearable?

I see my life more of a comedy than a tragedy. The man that takes life too seriously is in big trouble.

In conclusion, with the world in such a mess, I try to accept my fellow man for what he is, good, bad, or indifferent.

I did my best, but it is never good enough!

Time keeps moving forward constantly. Time tends to carry us along no matter what. A friend said to me the other day:

“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could STOP time or at least SLOW it down.”

I replied: “I’m sorry, but we can’t stop or slow time down. Look at that clock on the wall, notice the second hand move through one minute, that pace continues and does NOT STOP!”

My friend is 60 years old, he couldn’t believe that age was here already, and before he knows it, 60 will become 70!

***

Our days go by swiftly, they come and go, never again to see even one of those past days again.

***

My friend spoke again:

“I wish time would let somethings REMAIN!”

I thought: NOTHING REMAINS!

***

To me, later years are a time of losses. We lose our contemporaries, we lose our physical appearance, we lose our health, we lose our time, and our enthusiasm wanes. So, we live in resignation, accepting our age, with reluctance, and what we no longer have.

***

But there is light in the tunnel, we realize at least we are still ALIVE! Having good humour is the answer. I laugh to myself when I look at the liver spots on the backs of my hands. We create euphemisms, older instead of old, senior citizen is the one I use.

I feel young in my head, but then I look into the mirror. Who is that!

***

The thing that keeps me going is my writing, in which I enjoy researching different subjects for my blog and novels. This tends to overcome the restrictions imposed on my body by old age. The sage, Seneca, called old age an incurable disease. Come on, let’s get a cure! Ha, ha.

***

Is there a bright side to all of this?

Well, I love to reminisce about when I was a young man. I know I’m taking refuge in the past but it is good escapism. There is research that old people who reminisce a lot tend to live longer than those who don’t.

***

But, I try to live in the present as much as possible. It has been said, that hope for the future affects a person’s quality of life in the present. Older people tend to lose hope and that diminishes their present. But most senior citizens can readjust and make their existence worthwhile by resigning themselves to what is lost and making the most of what remains.

***

So, the overall picture is NOT as bleak as it seems. A lot of older people retain enough hope to consider life worthwhile well into their eighties. If you’ve got fairly good health and are financially secure, and have a passionate interest, you can look forward to quite a few good years

***

Old age happiness can be achieved with a combination of resignation and a commitment to living in the present and a perception that life is still good.

I will end with a joke that is true:

The only thing worse than growing old is BEING OLD!

What is the number one essential for living a life that’s true to who and what you are?

The essential is facing your own mortality. In other words, Facing Death.

Does that term scare you? Well, it shouldn’t because it is a great motivator to living a full life.

Motivator? Yes, when you face your limitation (death) you are liberated for the great experience of actually “living” and making meaningful choices.

***

Your limitation in life is your mortality. Being aware that your death is an inevitable part of your future can spur you on to make a meaningful life for yourself.

***

Embracing your death forces you to take seriously the choices you make about how to live. The inevitability of death makes life valuable. As you get older the supply of life gets smaller, but the appreciation of life gets greater.

***

The other essential to living well is “Living In Time.”

Living well requires you to have the right orientation toward your past, the present, and your future. Remember all your choices are made in the present.

***

What does time mean to you, on an everyday basis? Does it feel sort of disconnected between past, present, and future, with only the present having any real significance?

The everyday time seems like you’re IN TIME, and the present is where you exist, so it is the most important of the three times, past, present, and future. If you’re IN TIME, you feel like you are moving through it, it is EXTERNAL to you.

***

If you think of time from a first-person point of view, you understand time from the inside. It’s called “Lived Time.” There is no exact boundaries between past, present, and future. Your life is connected ACROSS time.

***

You naturally move forward toward the future, but you have to move forward from SOMEWHERE. Your existence has a starting point, your history (past).

Your Self emerged out of your past. So, you exist in the past!

***

You didn’t ask to be born in this time or in this culture. Certain possibilities are available to you in this time, but not all! Another limitation! Just as death is a limitation your birth is a limitation. When, where and to who are all birth limitations.

**

So, your past is NOT dead! Your past is in you, giving light to the present. Your options were limited by your birth. But this is YOU, it’s what makes you an individual.

***

Look at time another way, you also exist in the future! You’re always looking ahead, what’s next? You are running toward your future in anticipation.

***

In conclusion, we tend to join the past and future in the present. The present is your focal point where life comes together into a WHOLE across time.

In your present you see your world and your existence in a new way.

You face death and that means your meaningful actions are unwavering.

You move forward into the future as a unique person.

***

The joining of past and future, birth and death is expressed in finding meaningful actions in the present. You have made the connection between past, present, and future.

***

Life as you experience it has a meaningful flow. The past, present, and future make a unified existence. Your life is spread ACROSS time!

***

Remember: Time is so powerful it is given to us only in small quantities!

Is life absurd? Consider this scenario:

You get up and go to work. You work for four hours and then have lunch. Then four more hours of work, then you go home and have dinner, watch a little TV and go to bed. Five days all the same! One day you wake up and ask yourself:

“WHY?” And suddenly your “life” collapses!

Is this life absurd and irrational? Is there no logic or reason to it? If God is dead, as Nietzsche says, then we have no code of conduct to follow and no meaning to hold onto.

So, we are thrown into this world, live a life of “sameness” and then die. Yet we are constantly on a quest for meaning in a meaningless world!

In the above scenario of a humdrum existence there doesn’t seem to be much meaning. We come from nothing, we live for a very short time, and then return to oblivion. How absurd is that?

So, life is absurd, it doesn’t make sense, how do we deal with it? By living authentically and striving to be genuine. You must confront the world in your own individual way. You must make choices for yourself and make your own meaning.

***

Do you realize that you too, are absurd? That’s right we are absurd humans.

You live in the world, you make choices on what path you want to take, but the world doesn’t care what path you choose. You are alone and have to take responsibility for your own choices.

The world of your existence demands that you make choices even though it doesn’t care what choice you make or whether you make choices or not, which is a choice in itself. Now, that’s absurd!

In conclusion, we have to face the truths that come from your human absurdity and embrace them.

Your existence, which is absurd, takes place in the world. We are faced with the task of representing ourselves by creating meaning in our own lives.

***

You need to be passionate about things in your absurd existence. We have to care deeply about how we represent ourselves. We must take seriously our choices.

***

You are free. The world doesn’t dictate how we ought to live. What you do is up to you.

***

You are an individual. Your choices are unique to you and you stand out in the crowd.

***

You realize your existence is finite. Our lives are limited. Because you acknowledge this fact it acts as a motivator to create meaning while you are here.

***

The opposite side of the coin is living inauthentically. This means running away from making choices. Living authentically is difficult because it requires self-examination. When you make choices it hurts because there is some anxiety involved. The inauthentic person wants to avoid discomfort.

***

So, make your meaningful choices and create your genuine self.

I wish you:

HAPPY MEANINGFUL LIVING IN AN ABSURD WORLD!

“They” and “Them” are society, the faceless masses that want to control us. Existing in the world means existing alongside others. Without “Them” to structure and create worlds you can live in, you couldn’t exist in a meaningful way. The “They” make human life possible. Without “Them”, you’re nothing!

***

That’s conflicting, in a way, because: The smart thinking is that we get lost and entangled in the worldly immersion. We have to be capable of understanding our existence in a way NOT defined by “Them.”

***

In the chaos of the everyday, we tend to fall away from what we are, existing not as individual “I-Selves” but as “They-Selves.” Although, “They” are necessary to your existence, don’t forget that part of what being in the world means, is to maintain a sense of self APART from “Them.”

***

It’s a natural tendency to express the identity of the faceless crowd, but we must remember who we are and not get lost in the world of “Them.”

***

Being an individual means creating a meaning for your life that reflects your uniqueness without the need to borrow external values. Society fears the unique person because “They” want to pressure people to love mediocrity and passivity. “They” want people to conform.

***

I want to be an Individual but “They” and “Them” don’t want me to be unique.

“They” want to take away my Self-Control. How do they do it?

Have you ever succumbed to pressure from parents or friends? They want you to do something their way because they think it is right. When you take their advice you allow external ideas to determine your direction and “They” control you life!

***

When people tell you: “Don’t do that, what will “They” think?” “That’s not what “people” do.” Who are “They” and “People”? They mean the voice of society in general. You are to conform to the external pressures of the crowd.

***

The crowd preaches conformism and mediocrity. But the nature of the individual is to strive for uniqueness when engaging with life.

***

You must strive to be a self-created individual. The meaning you give to your life must be unique to you. You must create your own meaning and purpose.

***

So in conclusion, the individual must find counsel in his or herself rather than in the “Others.” Man’s identity is a basic part of his being: he can only assert it by refusing to conform to society’s “norms’ entirely. Don’t always listen to “They” and “Them.”

***

Strive to maintain control over yourself.

Remember: “Self-expression is good; self-control is better!”

PC, political correctness, the dictionary defines it as:

The avoidance of forms of expression or action that are perceived to exclude, marginalize, or insult groups of people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against.

***

This is a noble statement. It offers balm to the sensitivities of people. But I believe, that PC has become a censorship movement that shuts down debate and people’s opinions. It makes people censor themselves, the thoughts they have and their right to think what they want and to say what they think.

***

This noble statement in the definition, has many times been carried to extremes where it pressures people to avoid talking about sensitive issues and proposing solutions that are different from the usual agenda.

***

PC is the method of controlling and dumbing down of the people’s right to their opinions. Liberty in speech means the right to tell people what they don’t want to hear. But then, those people have the right to counter what has been said.

***

Did you ever wonder why voter turnout is usually low? It’s because the electorate feel it’s pointless to bother when all the main parties occupy the center ground. There is a sameness no matter who wins. No party wants to suggest any policy that is not PC, for fear of being called, “The Nasty Party.”

***

There is a creeping movement for Thought Conformism and Speech Conformism in the guise of PC. Sounds like something out of Orwell’s 1984 doesn’t it? It has become fashionable for people to be offended by almost anything they don’t believe in and to demand the perpetrator be prevented from saying it.

***

PC is an open attack on Free Speech and an attempt to bypass debate. The elite by trying to drive powerful sentiments underground does NOT get rid of them! The recent political earthquakes in the UK and US have proved that!

***

One of the reasons Donald Trump won the presidency is because he promised to get rid of PC. He realized that the ordinary Joe in America was sick to death of the smug elite telling him what to think. The elite by trying to force people not to speak their minds led to a revolution of the common man and their votes went to a guy who wasn’t afraid to speak his mind.

***

We must realize we have been manipulated by PC through saturation and suppression. Repeating something often enough and low and behold, it becomes accepted! Our ideas and opinions have been squashed if they go against the PC message.

***

So, lets get rid of this self-censor. Hyper-sensitivity cripples a person to the point that they can’t deal with the harsh realities of life. We must speak our minds and confront others in the arena of ideas. Can’t we question what is and what is not insulting, marginalizing and discriminatory?

***

The worst aspect of PC is its success in stifling opposing beliefs. The basic tendency of PC is to censor yourself from saying something in opposition to PC. PC wages war against Freedom of Speech. It gives itself a sense of moral superiority over any opposition. It gives a sense of shame and guilt to opposing beliefs. This then, becomes internalized so people censor themselves from saying things that that they strongly believe in. Don’t feel guilty for something you’re not responsible for: if you are not responsible for it, you can’t be guilty. Don’t feel emotional discomfort over voicing your opinions. We need debate. It has been closed down by the dominance of the moralistic ideology of PC.

***

Remember what Voltaire said: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

***

We have to communicate our ideas and opinions, and to do that we have to engage with people. Calling them “racist” doesn’t defeat an argument and It won’t help change their mind. Only debate, out of the realm of PC, might do that.

***

The 1^st Amendment to the US Constitution was established to help promote free speech, a free exchange of ideas, and to provide a form of redress to citizens against their government, with this restriction:

The government prohibits the use of speech used to incite violence and lawlessness.

***

So in conclusion, we must motivate ourselves and others to overcome the barrier to speak our minds. If enough people stop being isolated and shed the fear of PC, we will put down PC for good!

In 2016, two earth-shaking events happened:

The June referendum, when 17.4 million people in the UK voted to LEAVE the EU.

It was a 52% majority.

And the November election of Donald Trump for President of the US, when 62 million people voted for Trump which won a majority of the Electoral College votes.

***

These millions of voters in the UK and US felt they were NOT being listened to by their leaders. They felt marginalized and disenfranchised. They felt their leaders thought their concerns were insignificant and so they were put on the back burner.

Yet, they had LEGITIMATE concerns about their country!

***

All the bile and criticism thrown at the majorities in these two countries is a sign that the insulated political class wants to take the people out of democracy. Now, democracy means giving the people a voice so they can speak for themselves. The word democracy implies power and control to the people.

***

So, what happened in the aftermath of these two earthquakes?

People of the masses got bashed! This was the response to the events. Constant complaining and attempts to block the people’s decision.

***

Lets look at some of the LEGITIMATE concerns of the majority of the voters.

The 17.4 million people who voted to LEAVE the EU:

1. They wanted to make their own laws and decisions. Take control back from the EU.
2. Close the open borders by vetting incoming people for safety and population reasons.
3. Protect our institutions which are feeling the strain from over population.
4. Do our own trade deals with the rest of the world.
5. The people want their country back. For too long the elite have put the needs of other countries ahead of the UK’s.

What the 62 million voters wanted Trump to do:

1. Have the government start listening to the people’s concerns.
2. Bring jobs back to the US.
3. Manufacture our own goods at home, NOT abroad.
4. Re-build infrastructure and create many jobs.
5. Need affordable health care for the ordinary person.
6. Strengthen the borders by close vetting of incoming people.
7. Stop cheap foreign goods from entering the country.
8. Stop illegal immigration, if you’re in the country illegally, you are a criminal.

***

These are all LEGITIMATE concerns.

***

Now, lets look at the attempts in both countries to delegitimize the results of the vote and the voters who produced them. The power elite tried to force their views on the voters by FEAR and INSULT.

***

In the UK a fear campaign was launched. The Prime Minister and his cronies, the Governor of the Bank of England, The Chancellor of Germany and even the President of the US plus many celebrities said leaving the EU would mean economic catastrophe for the country.

Yet, still a majority didn’t do as they were told and voted to leave the EU!

***

In America, Clinton talked about “the deplorables” who supported Trump and the elite found the idea of such deplorable people exercising power frankly distasteful.

***

Some things stand out in the people bashing responses to Brexit and Trump’s election:

1. It has been said that those voting for Brexit in the UK and Trump in the US must have been uninformed, emotionally gullible people. Some say we entrust too much influence to the ignorant and easily misled people who don’t listen to the wise and enlightened elite. This is a clear insult to the voters.

The fear campaign of the elite tried to scare the “simple-minded” voters into obedience to their views. But the electorate resisted this ploy.

2. It has also been said that people who voted for Brexit and Trump must be racists. Ridiculous! You can’t write off millions of voters by using the over-used race card. Look again at the legitimate concerns of the people, there is nothing racist about them.
3. The elite political class want to redefine the meaning of democracy by excluding or downplaying the people by trying to represent them as it sees fit. They seek to separate the power from the people.

***

And this is why the elites of the UK and US and the rest of the West could not and can not accept the results of the two political earthquakes.

***

I always thought that majority rule was the main stay of democracy. Apparently not, when millions vote against the ideas of a small political elite.

***

So, what now? We need to reaffirm the democratic principles. We need to open up a political debate on how to engage the many who have been excluded from public life, and put all the people back in Democracy.

Maybe we could have more public debates on national issues via the internet. Instead of being just spectators, the people should have more of a say in where the world goes, NOT JUST THE ELITE!