On fascism, morality and ethics, religion, and what to do.

Because I don’t always make the best decisions when confronted with overwhelming force and powerful people, I’m grateful that I’m not living in the United States right now. I still have two teen boys living at home who need me, and a husband who would understand if I were shot by ICE in the street but would be bereft anyway.

I’ve traveled almost the entirety of the United States and have found something to love in each one. How could I not? The entire country is filled with the very best nature and people that our planet has to offer. The rain squalls on a lake in Oklahoma. The hollers of Kentucky, and the smell of tobacco farms, and holding tiny, beautiful snail shells at the drop off of a waterfall. Eating catfish and soul food in the Blue Ridge mountains. The forests of Montana and Idaho. The history and architecture of Boston and Philadelphia. The genuineness of the Midwestern people. The skies and cliffs and Native Americans of Utah and Wyoming. The entirety of the West Coast, with its mountains falling into the ocean, and redwood trees as big as houses.

And because of my love of everything about my country that isn’t tied to racism, slavery, and pointless hatred and evil, I have something akin to survivor’s guilt, and class consciousness eats away at my soul. Being able to escape isn’t a blessing, it’s a result of being born at the right time and marrying the right person. That said, I also know the pendulum in Europe is swinging in the same direction that America’s has, although it's a few years behind and has a good memory. The very same evil lives everywhere on the planet. What surprises me is the ubiquity of it, not how deeply entrenched it is. And in its ubiquity, how depraved it is.

At my core, if I’m honest with myself, I’m an atheist, in that I don’t believe there’s a god that has the same values and thoughts that we humans do. I believe in science. I believe that our energy is transformed when we die, because that’s what energy does, and I’m hoping consciousness is at least in some way retained, because I’d like to know what happens next. I don’t believe in hell. I don’t even really believe in karma, unless I’m enjoying wishful thinking. What I mostly believe is that we make choices that impact more lives that we can comprehend.

But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve begun to see the need for rigorous religious belief, especially the kind that extolls principals of morality that are socially beneficial. There are many, many people out there who are unable to navigate morality and ethics on their own. They need a framework, a community of likeminded people who will hold them accountable, and an existential consequence to play nicely with others – namely, hell. And where and when religion of this kind has been diminished, we see humans descend into banal, insatiable evil, which I define as an inability to empathize with - or even think about - the people your selfishness destroys.

Yes, social media enhances this effect, as do video games and drugs and a lack of love during childhood. But many can function as a genuinely helpful and good people in splte of partaking in any or all of these. They’re guided by an inherent understanding of the necessity of a functioning society, or a commitment to avoiding consequences, religious or otherwise.

But when a big enough cohort lose their socially agreed upon compass, all of us are faced with a moral crisis. For instance, I have fantasies of working at the McDonalds closest to the White House, making me grateful that I’m thousands of miles away and don’t have the option. This moral crisis is why nobody is “doing anything.” The democrats in office will do nothing to extract you from this situation, and neither, likely, will your neighbor. The only way I see this being resolved is through societally sanctioned actions like war, but other countries need to think about and weigh the worth of sending their own young people here. If it is war, it will be a civil war. Protests are good for being able to identify who’s on your team, and for team spirit to continue to side with righteousness, something that’s hard to do in the face of violence of fascism. It’s also an excellent way to become more involved in your communities, and that’s probably as important right now as anything else you can do. But Trump will die, just like Hitler died, and his death won’t stomp out the rapacious will of 30% of the populace for murder, violence and power. They are shameless without socialistic religion. They have no concept of why they need others at all. They have the souls of serial killers. Even with a decisive win, and one day there will be a decisive win for people who aren’t in that 30%, they will be lurking in the background. They will never go away.

And what will we do about that? I have no ideas at all, to be sure. And now I’ve fled, because I know full well that my children are not up to the task of fighting in the streets, assassination, or shooting ICE agents who would beat down their door. So who am I to tell you how you should respond, except to flee for the sake of your moral integrity? I’m not the person you should be asking. You need to ask yourself some questions. Are you comfortable having your children carry papers to prove their citizenship? Are you comfortable with the neighbors you share beers with on a Sunday afternoon around the bbq being dragged out of their homes? Would you do anything about it, knowing that you could be shot in the head, and then named a domestic terrorist by the federal government? Are you deeply ok with uncertainty, fear and shame? If you are, or you believe the worst will pass you over because you’re a white person living in a wealthy enclave, you’ll still live with the reality of what’s happening to your country, and to you.

If you can’t live like this or flee, go to the protests. Find people who are already in It and learn from them. Follow them. Read how fascism has been defeated before and take notes in the margins. Accept that even if we win, we’ll likely come out of it either dead or with a moral injury. That’s the best advice I have to offer you.

And if you’re someone who is enjoying this, you’ll have your comeuppance, too. When this is over, you’ll likely pretend that you never supported it. Hopefully you’ll have joined a church that offers the possibility of salvation with contrition and amends. If not, I’ll still wish humility for you, and that you'll be thankful for any kindness extended to you. But in this age of the internet where nothing ever really dies, you won’t outlive this. I take a certain amount of comfort in that thought.