whither actions and consequences?

Our behavior matters as well

The Biden era closes tomorrow at noon Eastern while the Trump presidency resumes. It’s hard to find two men more different in personality so the contrast will be a notable one.

The country votes for a new president once every four years as a privilege, not a mandate occurring into many authoritarian regimes. The incoming president received the majority of votes in the Electoral College as our system requires to assume office.

I am incredibly thankful that our governing system endures whether I am disappointed or pleased by the outcome(s). Americans use the words “freedom” and “rights” all too often these days, frequently equating them to mean “Because I am American, it’s a given my personal views prevail”. In fact, only a portion of our individual preferences ever become policy as the incredible complexity of human behavior (the actions creating consequences thingy) mitigates against individuals except as an organized group. That’s just how a society works for 340 million people, though that is never justification for violence and it can be a motivator.

Whether any of us pulled the lever for Trump or the one marked Harris (or those few whose third party votes appeared), the business of government will continue, despite fears and hopes. The administration will be different but it will continue as Americans across the board have an incentive in that government effort.

This is not to say a tremendous shift in priorities will not occur but government’s functions will continue, unlikely to change nearly as much as feared or anticipated. The Chief Executive in our system is only a third of the branches. Despite indications that some of the president-elect’s most vociferous supporters stand at the ready to implement absolutely anything he desires, the fact that the Legislature must earn an independent vote from its constituents means governing in our intricate system is pretty complicated.

But, in the end, the actions that create consequences in our lives more often than not result from our personal actions as government mandates. Did you clean the cat box? Oh, expletive, did you just drop the coffee carafe on a tile floor? Did you remember to pay the credit card bill on time this month to attain that score to allow you to buy a new home at a mortgage rate you can afford? Wait, you received a link that looks really legit so did you click on it? Were you silent when you saw a crime because you didn’t want to take time for the police interrogation? The list goes on.

But those actions and consequences are often far more under our control than the grandiose events upon which we so often focus. That is hardly a recommendation to surrender one’s beliefs or power, regardless what they are, to higher institutions. It’s a matter of not forgetting that over which we do have control at a time when so many people feel strangely powerless, almost always over that which we can neither rewrite history nor change something not in place yet. No reason to ignore the rest of the world but appreciate we can invest time over that which we control as well.

A few thoughts to begin a new administration as we depart its predecessor. Hardly brain surgery, of course, but worth reminding myself.

Thank you for considering actions create consequences today. I appreciate your time and most sincerely welcome your reactions, challenges, or questions. I especially thank those who are paid subscribers supporting this work to expand measured, civil dialogue.

Be well and be safe. FIN