Narcissist-Gaslighter Combo

Whatever one thinks of the current US President's policies, I am one of many who, for several years now, sees DJT as a narcissist-gaslighter (in combination and in the extreme). Having dealt with narcissist-gaslighter types before, I have learned the hard way that I have needed instruction and help to sift through the constant truth-twisting and manipulation that such people spew out. One simple and clear article is here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/communication-success/201707/6-common-traits-of-narcissists-and-gaslighters

Coping is not easy. One technique is to ignore, like a "black rock." However, when there are widespread implications--e.g., regarding Ukraine or numerous aid projects worldwide--simply ignoring in silence becomes difficult without at least saying something to assist others who may not have had the awful, disconcerting experience of dealing with someone like this.

If you choose to post a critical or disagreeing comment, I request that you not simply refocus your attack or assign blame elsewhere, e.g., to the media. For anyone--again, this is coming from one among many who has painfully learned how destructive narcissists-gaslighters can be--I am once again offering this warning about how DJT operates.

Kyrie eleison.

Some Casualties of USAID Cuts

 - A newly married young Kenyan in Kibera (densest and second largest slum in the world), one of the most upright people I know and who never asks me for financial assistance, just lost his income due to USAID cuts. With his wife now expecting, they are in dire straits.

- A Christian community in Costa Rica (instigated by good friends James and Ruth Padilla-Deborst) has had to close its doors to many people-at-risk they serve due to the loss of USAID funding.

- https://worldrelief.org/

- etc.

I'm all for purging unnecessary and bloated government programs. I agree with cutting back on some of the USAID activities publicized of late. However, reducing USAID objectives, and hence all activities, from "extend assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms" (https://www.usa.gov/agencies/u-s-agency-for-international-development) to--first and foremost--be "in alignment with an America First agenda" (https://www.state.gov/secretary-marco-rubio-appointed-as-acting-administrator-for-the-united-states-agency-for-international-development-usaid/) is, well, "America First."

There has to be a more humane way of enabling USAID to fulfill its mandated objectives.

Navigating Life in "America"

The historical development of “America”: a man’s name > a “discovered” continent > a differentiating location > an imperial shorthand > an expression of devotion > a galvanizing ideal.*

A basic navigating framework I find useful for any setting is that of “Inter-Christianity“ (see August 2017 blogpost). That is, fundamental identity markers for people who are “in Christ” include international, interconfessional, interdisciplinary, intergenerational, and interdependent; markers inherent to those categories include inter-ethnic and inter-class. Living with an “inter-Christian” identity overrides other claims to loyalty and self-identity.

“National” identity seeks to stake a basic claim of loyalty in citizens’ hearts. For those of us who are U.S. citizens, we are regularly admonished to fulfill our various “sacred” duties and to treasure “sacred” rights. After all, the admonitions claim, the “United States of America” is the greatest nation in the history of the world and should thus have the “most lethal fighting force” in the world. Questioning, and certainly opposing, such claims might be theoretically and legally permitted but can be socially, politically, and emotionally cast as blasphemous.

I grew up in the US during the Cold War. I have lived substantial portions of my adult life in various other parts of the world, as well as in various locations within the US. Along with giving shape to living with the above-sketched “inter-Christian” identity, these life experiences have helped to reshape much of what I grew up assuming about “America” and its place in the world.

* Elaborating Sources:

Continental Congress (1777). “Articles of Confederation.” National Archives. https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/articles-of-confederation 

Federal Convention (1787). “The Constitution of the United States.” National Archives. https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution 

Immerwahr, D. (2019). “When Did the US Start Calling Itself “America,” Anyway?” MotherJones. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/07/when-did-the-united-states-start-calling-itself-america-anyway/ 

Library of Congress (n.d.). “Recognizing and Naming America: Waldseemüller’s 1507 Map.” https://www.loc.gov/collections/discovery-and-exploration/articles-and-essays/recognizing-and-naming-america/ 

Lincoln, A. (1863). “A Proclamation.” National Archives. https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/emancipation-proclamation/transcript.html 

Moran, G. (2018). America in the United States and the United States in America. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse.

Representatives of the united States of America (1776). “Declaration of Independence.”  National Archives. https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/declaration-of-independence