What I find truly sad about Trump

[vlyons]

I'm a Buddhist. I probably see things differently from many people. What's truly sad to me is that Trump was given a wonderful and luxurious lifestyle. Plenty of money, nice place to live, excellent education, contacts with important and influential people. And what has he done with all that? Chased after money and sex. From the Buddhist perspective, that sort of life's aspiration is worthless. It only creates more suffering and delusions.

Trump had great wealth, leisure and good health to pursue more enlightening activities. Activities that might have been of benefit and helpful to others. Altruistic activities that would have earned him the respect and accolades that he so desperately seems to covet. If you compare what Trump has done with his life with someone like Jimmy Carter or Bill Gates. Well there's just no comparison. I don't think that all that money has made Trump a happy man, but I'll bet that Jimmy Carter or Bill Gates are very happy men.

Life is very short. It is certain that each of us shall die, but we just don't know what day that will be. Each day is precious. I feel sad for people like Trump, who spend their whole live chasing money, never giving back to help others, and then die feeling bitter and cheated.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. I agree. Trump is an empty man. The more he gets the more he wants,

but he can never get everything he wants. Nothing is of value to him, not even money and sex except to the extent those things "prove" to himself that he is powerful. He's a narcissist, of course; narcissists are desperate for the approval and adulation of others and become furious (and miserable) when they don't get it. Trump doesn't even seem to have any friends. All the other presidential candidates I remember (and that's a lot; I'm old) had people they've known for years, who are loyal to them, and who actually seem to like them. Even Bush had friends. Trump has cronies and sycophants who are loyal as long as they are paid. His adult children strike me as people who are desperate for Daddy's love and approval, which they probably never got as kids and think they can get only if they can prove they are just like him. I don't think Trump ever even had a pet. All he ever seems to have done since he was a child was strive for attention and approval and, as an adult, try to demonstrate his "superiority" by ostentatiously displaying his wealth.

People with far less money and fame are certainly much happier and content with their lives. "I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love," the Beatles said. Trump doesn't get that, and that's sad. As you said, he'll eventually die a bitter, angry man, and nobody will miss him.

[47of74]

14. His belly is full but his soul is empty.

[uppityperson]

2. I am terrified of him, appalled by him, disgusted by him, and also find him very sad

k&r for expressing it well. He needs to not have power over anyone, and is also very sad.

[Cracklin Charlie]

3. I'm kinda starting to feel bad for him, too.

He seems to have some form of mental illness that further complicates the situations he jumps into.

I just want this whole ordeal to end as soon as possible, so that President-elect Clinton can get to work.

[ailsagirl]

4. Excellent post

I appreciated hearing your feelings about Trump-- I have always felt he went after the wrong things in life and I agree he could have enriched himself immeasurably had he a social conscience. Giving to others is a win-win situation, though it's tragic he never discovered that.

Peace

[bloom]

5. As long as he continues to abuse his position of power

he just makes me sick.

He is like a Messiah for hateful nimrods.


Jimmy Carter may or may not be happier. He may have depression, for instance. But at least he has integrity. And can express and receive true love and admiration. Trump will never have that - at the rate he is going.

[Helen Borg]

6. Everything.

[MFM008]

7. The obvious key to maggot and his disorder

Lay with
DADDY.
Mumsy to and
Family disfunction 3.
It really is that simple.

[treestar]

8. Such a good point

He could have been a much better person. He should have gone into therapy early in life.

[elmac]

9. What scares me is

how many spoiled rich brats are actually running this country. I'm thinking there are a lot more tRUMPS out there.

[Binkie The Clown]

10. As a Taoist-leaning atheist myself, I keep thinking of the line from the Tao Te Ching...

"He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough."

(Don't quote me, but I believe that's from the Gia-Fu Feng / Jan English translation.)

[Doreen]

11. I feel bad for him on some levels also.

I see hm working hard for the wrong things being money, power, and self importance when the real things anyone should work for is understanding, truth, and acceptance of others. He is going to be coming back to fix a big messed up karma and I do not see it being worked out in the next life only.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

12. I'm a Buddhist too...I've thought the same things.

Although he's also performing a role that we need badly---bringing the lowest life conditions out into the open.
Waking up many more people who weren't able to see until the Three Poisons--greed, anger and stupidity-- were embodied in an insane characiture that the majority of people CAN see.

Sad that he's miserable, but who knows why he took on such extreme karma....or rather, interesting--a person like that showing up at the right time to catalyze the world to break tolerance threshold.

[vlyons]

24. yes I hope some good will come out of our Trump experience

Seems like am immense dramatic catharsis for our country.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

37. Yes...pretty much a national referendum on decency.

And shows us who the sewage rats are.

[Lucinda]

13. This may provide the catalyst needed for him to grow. Failure will provide the impetus, it's

up to the man to choose what happens next.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

16. At his age it's unlikely.

And that sort of extreme narcissism is incurable. Narcissists don't think there's anything wrong with them, and that any failure is someone else's fault. He will never have the insight needed to see that his problem is himself.

[Fast Walker 52]

36. yeah, I supsect he's a lost cause at this point

but you hate to write someone off completely

[Martin Eden]

15. We all started out as innocent children

What we have become is the product of our genetics and how we were nurtured.

I don't doubt that some people are born with a predilection for certain behavioral patterns, but I think nurture and guidance play a much larger role. We have to keep in mind that early childhood experiences can have a profound and lasting effect on the direction we take.

Nevertheless, as we become adults we have to take more responsibility for our actions. Those with mental illness have tremendous difficulties, but people with normal health and intelligence have diminishing excuses for being selfish and cruel.

I don't know if Donald Trump suffers from mental illness, but he does exhibit personality disorders associated with sociopathy and narcissism.

He is free to pursue wealth and sex (within the law) but when he pursues a position of power with potentially catastrophic consequences for millions (if not billions) of people, he must be stopped.

We can feel sad for a person who has wasted his life in venal and vulgar pursuits, but a line must be drawn when it comes to harming others.

If the good of our country and of the world requires making Donald Trump the most miserable human being on the planet, so be it.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

17. He probably already is the most miserable human being on the face of the earth.

Buddhists like the OP urge compassion for all living beings, and while we might feel compassion for this sad, empty man, his personality disorders are such that he must also be kept away from any position of power. He will never get better, but whatever ails him needs to be corralled securely within the walls of his trashy nouveau-riche penthouse.

[vlyons]

26. Compassion wold have us feel sorry

for his self-created misery, but have the wisdom to ensure that he doesn't inflict more suffering on others. While I might wish that someone would come along and show him the light, he has to open his eyes and his mind to be able to see it.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

29. Yes. Nobody else can "fix" what's wrong with him

or fill the empty space in his soul. And I don't think he'll ever be able to do it himself.

[vlyons]

33. probably not, but

it's never too late to start making amends for the wrongs that we have done. Like I said in my OP above, every day is precious.

[moonscape]

18. Agreed. As Garrison Keillor wrote:

"When this is over you will have nothing that you want."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-donald-trump-losing-garrison-keillor-20160831-story.html

[ffr]

19. People who spend all their time chasing money just don't get it.

IMO.

[TNNurse]

20. When Romney lost and was so shocked

it was revealed that "his people" had been feeding him false poll numbers and he really thought he would win. I felt kind of bad for him.

Trump however is feeding his supporters this big story about the election being rigged. He is the one who is deluding people and maybe himself (though I kind of doubt that). He provides no facts or details about this rigging of the election and is doing much harm to the process in general. I am not sure how this helps him but every thing he does is for his benefit so there must be something.

If his supporters "rise up and do harm", they will be shocked by the consequences and that is a little sad.

By the way, how does he plan to not recognize the results when he loses? He does not currently hold the office so he cannot just stay? Is he thinking about being a squatter in the White House?

[NewJeffCT]

31. were they false poll numbers?

or, did they claim the polls were skewed and biased in favor of Obama? So. Republican pollsters like Rasmussen were given greater credence in the Romney bubble than poll aggregators like 538, D-leaning polls or neutral polls, because Rasmussen was "fair and balanced" like Fox News. While, the other polls was biased and/or skewed.

I think the final aggregate had Obama up 1-2%, and he ended up winning by 4%. I would call at least some of that 2-3% difference due to Obama's superior ground game. Trump has no ground game at all vs a mediocre ground game for Romney. I would not be surprised if the polls are currently skewed 3-5% against Clinton now because of her strong ground game vs nothing.

[Wounded Bear]

21. IIRC, that's how Buddha started out...

as a priveleged Prince, who had a turning one time when he got out of his palace and saw how the poor people lived.

He had a revelation, which turned him into the spiritual leader he became.

At least that is one story I heard.

[vlyons]

30. Buddha did years and years of soul searching

renounced his wealth, family, and position and really really looked at how his mind worked and how reality actually exists. It took great focus and perseverance. Lucky for us that Buddha decided to share about his experience with us, at least with those of us, who are open to hearing it.

[ailsagirl]

51. Your post makes me want to take up Buddhism

Last edited Tue Oct 18, 2016, 12:28 AM - Edit history (1)

[Pachamama]

22. "Rosebud"....

I wonder what was his simple love...if he ever had one...

[BamaRefugee]

23. I think he is in a cocoon of loneliness

I've NEVER seen a pic of him with a couple of friends, shoes off, ties loosened, just kicking back for some laughs. I've never seen a pic of him with ANYONE that he calls a close friend.

The man doesn't even have a dog. Not even a mutt to tie to the roof of the car.

Where is the "Donald Trump Wing" of some hospital? "The Donald Trump Collection" at an art museum? Where is ANYTHING that really rich people usually create to perpetuate their legacy and maybe help or inspire someone along the way? Or at least to assuage their sins.

The only time he seems close to anyone is when Ivanka is on his lap, seriously.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

27. You have to wonder if he ever has done normal, fun stuff

like playing catch with his sons or relaxing at the beach or enjoying a concert or a play. Has he ever traveled just for the pleasure of seeing a new place? Gone fishing or camping? Cooked and enjoyed a meal? Sat outside at night and looked at the stars and wondered what's out there?

If he's never done any of those things he's the poorest man in the world.

[Gabi Hayes]

25. What I find truly sad about Trump is that he is

still walking the streets a free man

just ask Jeffrey Epstein about their escapades together with a certain 13 year old girl.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

38. ^. n/t

[DinahMoeHum]

28. "No foundation. All the way down the line"

My mother is fond of that quote from the William Saroyan play The Time Of Your Life

"No foundation. All the way down the line"

That phrase, spoken by the drunken Arab in the bar repeatedly throughout the play sums
up Trump's life.

Beyond golf and beauty pageants, we know absolutely nothing about this guy. Does he
have pets? Does he have other hobbies? Other sports he plays?

Beneath the glitter and bluster, he's a big fat NOTHING.

a L-O-S-E-R.

[babylonsister]

53. There's an applicable quote.

And no filter, at all.

I suspect he is pretty much a big fat nothing.

[Coyotl]

32. Most pathetic: Trump has more pussy grabs than there are voter fraud cases and he says it's rigged.

[Gabi Hayes]

44. If only Hillary would say that during the debate, if that moron dares bring up the 31 cases

out of a BILLION votes cast from 2000 to 2014

[no_hypocrisy]

34. It's more than that. Trump has dedicated his life to hurting anyone

who gets in his way.

His brother, Fred Jr. Ed Koch. Ivana. Marla. The nine women. Hillary. Bill.

[Pachamama]

54. He also has no friends (although he claims the likes of Bill O'Reilly, Giuliani etc) but Trump has

....not one single childhood friend. Not from his early youth, not from his teen years, from military academy, not from College. Not a single friend.

I went to the University of Pennsylvania. I am very well connected there and know many people including famous alums that were sorority sisters of mine, legacies of multiple generations whose parents and grandparents served on the Board of Trustees and other boards within the alumni and university structure. I will say it again - he has NOT a single friend. University of. Pennsylvania has nothing with the Trump name - doesn't want it. There is a reason. I have overheard class reunions for his class making jokes about him. Or people saying that they either can't remember him or that they remember the asshole in their dorm or in the classroom who transferred. He did no sport and was not as far as I have ever been able to tell, ever belonged to any fraternity (and I know these organizations well and even founded one myself). His kids went to Penn as legacies. He was one. Big effing deal. There are many. But he literally, has no friends there and no one likes him.

I believe that has been true all his life no matter where he goes and always will be.

[Fast Walker 52]

35. yes, he does seem very empty. Does appreciate any music at all? Theater? Even good food?

After hearing about him endlessly, I know nothing of these things, except that he seems to like fast food for some freakish reason.

[Skidmore]

39. Trump is a very disturbed man.

I often wonder what his childhood was like. What forces acted on him to warp his psyche? Or did he start out life with faulty wiring?

[sofa king]

40. He has the "narcissism of privilege."

Not many of you want to believe me because Bush is the better actor, but George W. and Trump are virtually the same person: lazy, stupid, un-empathetic, demanding of loyalty and special treatment, and totally self-absorbed.

Both got where they were thanks to smarter and harder-working parents. Both got the "gentleman's C" in Ivy League colleges. Both specialized in running business ventures into the dirt. Neither can complete a sentence or speak coherently on US policy. Neither gives a shit about other humans.

Both were picked by the enemies of the United States as the guy they wanted to win. Because they are both predictable, astonishingly easy to manipulate, and guaranteed to leave the United States in worse shape than they found it after stealing the election.

[stopwastingmymoney]

59. From my personal experience and observations

I suspect the narcissist often has a same sex parent who is a narcissist as well

[DCofVA]

41. Every night I wish him peace

[lovemydog]

42. Very well-said viyons.

Chasing purely selfish dreams leaves people bitter and mean.

We are all stronger together.

I love older people who are happy. They are the ones who live for a spirit of purpose in showing compassion toward all sentient beings.

Hope you enjoy a wonderful week.

[The Tingler]

43. Great post.

I see people like Trump and it destroys my faith in humanity. But then I see good and decent people and it restores my faith. But I remain somewhat pessimistic about the future of our species.

[Stuart G]

45. I agree..."Great post."

[Cakes488]

46. If only he would of used his powers for good instead of DIRTBAGGERY.

[Auntie Bush]

47. Poor baby!

Dies Bitter and cheated! Also feeling like a failure...which he is. Failed at what he wanted most.
He ruined his own name and all respect.

[TexasBushwhacker]

48. You'll never get enough of what you don't really want n/t

[calimary]

49. Beautiful post. Reminds us all of what really counts, in the long term.

I grew up being taught about "noblesse oblige" - which boils down to: much blessed, much obligated. If you are blessed with fortune or a good beginning or good looks or great talent, you OWE. You're OBLIGATED. You are obligated to give back. You are obligated to do good, to share your gifts and your many blessings for the sake of the greater good. My mother was totally enthralled with the Kennedys. SO rich, so talented and smart and gifted. Privileged and powerful and influential as can be. And NONE of them sat on it and acted entitled. Not one. They were tremendously into service. Public service. The whole idea of a selfless commitment to service to their communities, their state, their country.

And they didn't have to go there. They could have sat back and skated on their fabulous wealth and connections and glamour. They could have fanned out across the landscape on an opportunistic crusade to scam the unsuspecting out of their money. And they DIDN'T. Instead, they were ALL just the epitome of class and altruism - how they could use their fame, wealth, social standing, clout, and yes, glamour, to benefit others. They really "GOT" the whole idea of "noblesse oblige" - service to others BECAUSE your many privileges and blessings make you OBLIGATED to turn around and use those gifts for the benefit of others less fortunate or blessed than you are.

That's one thing I always liked about Prince Charles. He wears a signet ring with his personal motto on it: "I serve". One day he'll be fucking KING of fucking ENGLAND! And yet it was ingrained into him from the beginning that he was born to serve his people. And with the royal family over there so heavily involved in charity work - my view is always - "glad to see this, and they BETTER be! Because they OWE IT to their people."

You need to USE your gifts. USE them. USE them for doing good. USE them for the greater good. So others can benefit, or be helped, because you were there and did good, and used your gifts to be helpful, and to be of service.

[ailsagirl]

52. Amen, Calimary

[LakeArenal]

50. Same with the Koch brothers...

Well, I don't know about the sex part. Think, if they would put 100's of millions of dollars into something besides politics and public television. Just power for the sake of the power. I will never understand it.

[AgadorSparticus]

55. The thing about money and power is that they are never enough. Just like drugs.

[Ruth Bonner]

56. Altruistic activities would have led to a more joyful life.

Less pain. Less anger. Better relationships.

Altruism is a win-win in the long run, no matter how it is perceived in the short run.

[Nevernose]

57. Buddha was ignorant and sheltered

When he left the palace, his father arranged it so Siddartha wouldn't see the sick, the poor, the infirm, or the old. Trump is just a poor, sad, stupid fuck who was never curious enough to leave the palace.

[SunSeeker]

61. Trump sees the poor and the sick. He just thinks they deserve it.

Like the mom & pop contractors he stiffed.

[True Dough]

67. The poor and the sick

obviously don't have good genes. Donny has "the best genes." Yada, yada, yada.

[vlyons]

64. Buddha was ignorant and sheltered BEFORE he left the palace

But later on, he became enlightened.

[applegrove]

58. It is only about interconnectedness. I feel sorry for anyone

who grows up and somehow missed that.

[diane in sf]

60. His father and grandfather were dreadful people and he adopted Roy Cohn as his mentor.

He didn't rise above his upbringing, he wallowed in it.

[SunSeeker]

62. Yup. His dad was a pathological liar and con man just like Donald Trump.

He was just a little less vulgar than Donald.

[SunSeeker]

63. Great post, but I just can't find it in me to feel sorry for that monster. nt

[Richard D]

65. He's a hungry ghost.

[vlyons]

66. or perhaps an Asura

a jealous god, always at war.

[Richard D]

68. True, but . ..

. . . elevating drumpf to a god?

[vlyons]

69. The asuras were demi-gods

Having great wealth and privileges, but always at war and making trouble with the gods, because they were jealous and wanted more and more.