Spider Web

Friends,

Like many of you I am struggling to assess  the impact of the agenda of the Trump administration. And it’s easy to feel trapped and threatened. I feel our nation has been seduced into a web of confusion and harm from which we may feel there is no apparent escape. Please bear with me as I try to respond.

On a bit of a lighter side, our situation reminds me of an old children’s poem I had to memorize and recite as a duet (I think I was the spider) at a community program when I was in the fourth grade. The poem is “The Spider and the Fly” written by Mary Howitt in 1828. I can’t resist quoting the whole poem here, and. I think you will realize why it may apply to our current situation. Try reading it a second time. 

                       “The Spider and the Fly""
Will you walk into my parlour?" said a spider to a fly;
"'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy.
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
And I have many pretty things to show when you are there."
"Oh no, no!" said the little fly, "to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again."

Said the cunning spider to the fly, "Dear friend, what shall I do,
To prove the warm affection I've always felt for you?
I have, within my pantry, good store of all that's nice;
I'm sure you're very welcome – will you please to take a slice?"
"Oh no, no!" said the little fly, "kind sir, that cannot be,
I've heard what's in your pantry, and I do not wish to see."

"Sweet creature!" said the spider, "you're witty and you're wise.
How handsome are your gauzy wings, how brilliant are your eyes!
I have a little looking-glass upon my parlour shelf,
If you'll step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself."
"I thank you, gentle sir," she said, "for what you're pleased to say,
And bidding you good morning now, I'll call another day."

The spider turned him round about, and went into his den,
For well he knew, the silly fly would soon come back again:
So he wove a subtle web, in a little corner, sly,
And set his table ready, to dine upon the fly.
Then he went out to his door again, and merrily did sing,
"Come hither, hither, pretty fly, with the pearl and silver wing;
Your robes are green and purple – there's a crest upon your head;
Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead."

Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little fly,
Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by;
With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer drew,
Thinking only of her brilliant eyes, and green and purple hue;–
Thinking only of her crested head – poor foolish thing! – At last
Up jumped the cunning spider, and fiercely held her fast.

He dragged her up his winding stair, into his dismal den,
Within his little parlour – but she ne'er came out again!
– And now, dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly, flattering words, I pray you ne'er give heed:
Unto an evil counsellor, close heart, and ear, and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale, of the Spider and the Fly.

— Mary Howitt (1828)

The poem's gruesome ending is a little harsh for a children’s poem, I think, but it was clearly intended to emphasize to children the dangers of seductive flattery and charm of “an evil counselor.” And I think that certainly applies today for the rest of us. It does feel a bit like we are a nation of foolishly seduced and captured “flies”!  (But I must add I don’t agree with the fatal ending.)

It certainly is a valid temptation to be pretty discouraged and fatalistic right now. An astute good friend emphatically told me this week he is seriously wondering if our democracy will be able to overcome the current destructive devastation of the Constitutional framework that served for two hundred and fifty years as a promising (but faulted, yes) model for democratic governance. And now it is being dismantled without much opposition in a matter of days. And at present there is no serious opposition to its demise politically or publicly. So from that present perspective prospects for escaping or even countering the Trump “web” are not very promising.  

Just a bit more of my doom mongering before I offer some more positive reflections on how to tear away at “the web.” What does it mean to feel so powerless in the face of great harm and injustice? For a start I feel obligated to see and feel and be aware of all the duplicity and arrogance that is driving so much destruction, so I have had to often force myself to listen to interviews and read the news. And I often have been deeply disheartened and heartsick by the callous and immoral threats to funding for USAID and UNHCR (the United Nations Relief agency), and the World Health Organization, that over the years have fed, healed, housed and supported millions of people across the globe out of our nation’s largesse. And it is unconscionable to preemptively, suddenly cut off those critical sources of life support for millions of people. The God of justice and mercy is watching.

But here’s my take from the "balcony” on how I am trying to respond. This seemingly huge "spider web" of Trumpian entrapment can actually only hold a few “flies" at a time before it begins to shred like the web in the photo above. I believe we will continue to see the currently shocked and disorganized attempts to challenge the sudden entrapment begin to work together to kick our way out. I am pleased, for example, that a group of Quakers have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration advocating a blocking policy that would prevent immigration officials from entering places of worship, and supported by the DemocracyForward organization that is coordinating opposition to the Trump administration. Trump’s team is primarily picking on those he has demeaned and are less able to protect themselves: immigrants, starving people overseas, transgender people, and a non-political USAID, for example. And he has shamelessly been enabled to do so by those intimidated by the MAGA party: Republicans most notably, but also financiers anticipating lucrative tax cuts and fewer regulations against greed. Ordinary people, governors, unions, the entertainment industry, and agriculture will surely feel a responsibility to speak up soon. We will begin to realize the old maxim that the only thing worse than being bullied is to allow yourself to be bullied. It may take a while, but the erosion and exclusion of our democratic rights and freedoms cannot be long tolerated, and that is what is happening. Last week I offered a number of nonviolent ways people can rise up, some spontaneously, some carefully trained and organized. But there will be an uprising, and my prayer is that it will be nonviolent. 

And the major other way we will eventually free ourselves from Trump’s spider web is to not only struggle harder against the oppression but to begin now to envision and create a compelling commitment to build a newly transformed version of democracy, even better than pre-Trump, better than the original Constitution. Part of this vision may be structural and political. But the crucial part of important transformation will be personal and tribal.  For example, We need to become clear together about clarifying our understanding of the importance of protecting the freedoms and privileges of democracy. And I want to challenge/dare! each of us to study the best of socialism, not the worst of socialism the right wing is actually emulating, but a society more like Scandinavian socialism that establishes and extends a wide system of safety nets like our current medicare and social security programs - and then on to health care. And then all the while counter the evils of exploitation and hyper-concentrated wealth of capitalism. Historically we actually know how to create a socialist culture as we learned during the New Deal, and now we have a chance to rebuild and use our historical knowledge and experience.

As soon as possible we need to envision and create a transformed America that is sustainable, just, and peaceful. We need to believe deeply this transformation is possible, and we will dedicate ourselves to create it in our personal and structural lives. I do not know, of course, a plan for how this transformation may unfold, but I believe it is possible, and it will likely begin at a very local level. What kind of a local community do we want to inhabit? I am grateful that our island community on Whidbey represents a good start toward a community of mutual support and care that I envision.

Peace,
Tom