In The Era of D.J. Trump, You Must Be ‘Proactively and Purposefully Prepared’!

---

 Life can be fragile, ruthless and unfair. Everything is in a state of flux, including the status quo! We live in a world that is violent, unpredictable, complex, and ambiguous.

 

The best means of tackling the fragility of life, in my opinion, is to be proactively and purposefully prepared against its unpredictability.

 

By life being unpredictable, I mean that there is no absolute guarantee of anything. A student, for instance, may study, toil and burn the midnight oil but still fail in their exams. A business person may hustle and work on his business but still lose money and miss important deals.

 

People invest so many resources into their relationship yet may still be betrayed by a partner. One may be entirely devoted to one’s family and friends and still lose them, either physically or morally. All one has laboured for may be disrupted in an instant.

 

While the observations above may sound negative, the realisation of this fact, and setting up appropriate actions towards tackling a life anomaly would create the right foundation for the journey. Life is like the changing seasons and while we cannot change the seasons but we can change ourselves.

 

 

A Lesson of the Journey from British Politics

 

Life is filled with the unexpected. For instance, looking at the volatility in British politics, we can understand this indeterminacy of life. I would like to make some analogies.

 

When former British Prime Minister, David Cameron, won his second election in a landslide in 2015, he confessed that he didn’t expect to win at such a margin (I am sure he did not see his exit just around the corner, either). He decided to take a massive gamble with the Brexit referendum. He succeeded in keeping Scotland in the Union, then he took a bet on Europe. Brexit caught him and almost everyone, including the winners, unaware.

 

Theresa May, who became Prime Minister in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum and the resignation of David Cameron in 2016, seems to have had power thrust upon her. From such lofty heights and responsibility, she took a personal gamble, the result of which in my opinion, was the beginning of her end. She called for an election in order to consolidate her ‘Journey Forward’ position, but the result of the election was a boomerang. She lost her authority and control at Parliament and she spiralled into a Journey Back which resulted in her ultimate loss of office.

 

When Boris Johnson came to power in 2019, immediately there were talks about the end of austerities measures set up as a damage control by David Cameron, because he opined that the UK has made enough savings to lift these shackles of burdens. Then out of nowhere, the Covid-19 pandemic began, followed by the 2022 Russian/Ukrainian crisis, leading to a debt-ridden economy which may be difficult to pay off for the next three generations and the eventual demise of the Conservative Party.

 

We cannot predict life; we can only manage expectations.

 

The Challenge of the Unexpected

 

Something may be entirely perfect today and be completely derailed tomorrow, such is life! We all woke up to the unpredictable historical events of the 2008 Financial Crisis, the first election of Donald J. Trump, Brexit, Covid-19 pandemic and of Russia bombing Ukraine, events which some may argue were not very likely but which are shaping our lives today. Life is tough and fragile and we need to be prepared for eventualities, to be on our guard.

 

But, I would argue that this current ripple: the 2^nd coming of Donald J Trump, was not entirely unexpected, so, how prepared are we, or why are we still unprepared?

 

 

Tackling the Ripples Coming from America

 

The positive aspect of the MAGA ripples is that they were not unexpected. Donald Trump gave us a clue about what he intended to do, so why do we still seem unprepared?

 

The point is that the foundation of life’s success lies in cultivating the habit of being proactively and purposefully prepared; this isn't something we can simply conjure from our minds.

 

We must be very strategic and methodical in our preparation. Those who fail to do this during these times will have only themselves to blame. 

 

An African proverb states, ‘Death kills the careful chameleon; how much more an unscrupulous toad that hops everywhere?’. If the methodically and strategically prepared individual struggles to stay afloat in our times, what hope is there for someone who approaches survival with levity? 

I analysed some methods for preparing for hard times in my book ‘Blooming Through Chaotic Times’.  Yet, I have discovered that we can better prepare against difficult times through mutual support and accountability.

 

If you would like to be part of this support and accountability to establish a solid foundation against these unpredictable times, feel free to reach out to me.

 

Remember: It is not our altruistic desire to survive and thrive that will enable us to bloom, but our realisation that humanity is far more prone to being preyed upon without careful preparation. We are living in an age of many predators, and it is wise to take personal responsibility for our survival rather than relying on a naive over-dependence on any system.  

 

• Framat