No contention presumably exists, relative to the universal understanding of the nocturnally occurring phenomenon, known as the “nightmare.” The ubiquitous understanding is that the noun connotes an unpleasant dream that evokes in the suddenly awakened sleeper, a strong emotional response of fear, anxiety, disgust or sadness. Such nighttime dynamics are understood to occur during a stage of deep sleep, clinically designated as “R.E.M.” (i.e. rapid eye movement) and, empirically, are anecdotal and commonplace occurrences. Our contextual phrase is also employed in adjectival, descriptive fashion, to describe a state of perceived threat occurring in daytime. It is the word, in such daytime context, that we thematically employ in this writing, to describe the “awakening” to a daytime-occurring, trauma.
The politically knowledgeable Founders of our Republican Democracy, ever mindful of the “nightmarish” history of “Old World” rule, by Monarch or Established Church, were motivated to avoid the centuries of injustices of autocratic rule. Their radical conception of a Nation, conceived to exemplify a Democratic Republic, “by and for the People,” was philosophically creative and benignly idealistic. They conceived of a polity with three separate branches, Executive, Legislative and Judicial, in lieu of one all-powerful Ruler, to exercise the respective obligations of government (“Separation of Powers”) imbuing each branch with the authority and duty, to limit the power of the other from the perceived excess of their constitutionally designated authority (“Checks and Balances”).
Notably, a foundational conceit of the Founders was, that in the new Nation, interested and informed citizens would, in responsible and collegial manner, debate the controversial issues of the day and that the debate results would dynamically influence government policy; thus, achieving their idealistically intended, aspiration of a “Rule, for and by the People.” Such wishful experiment did, however, have its doubters. Thomas Jefferson declared his concern by his prescient declaration, that for a democracy to succeed, it requires an educated and informed citizenry. Fellow Founder, Benjamin Franklin, in his famous response to an inquiry as to the nature of the government that the Founders had created, wisely responded, “A Republic, if we can keep it.”
In previous writings, we have noted the ultimate wisdom expressed by such cautionary remarks as we disappointedly observed a revelation of extant human character, contrary to the idealistic, anticipations of the paternal, 18th Century wearers of white – powdered wigs, viz., our venerated “Founding Fathers.”
Before too long, the Nation awoke to a daylight “nightmarish” reality, antagonistic to the Founders’ conception of the working dynamics of representative government which would be guided in determinations by the outcome of informed citizen debate. The reality presented by said disturbing daytime nightmare demonstrated that diversity on political and social issues were not, as assumed, destined to be the subject of responsible civil debate, but instead, provided the nightmarish foundation for toxic, divisive conflict. Insular “group think” tribes arose in the Nation, which maintained an obdurate state of “Cold War” with other similarly- existing groups of divergent opinion.
Nor was such shocking realization the zenith of the toxic metastasis of the antagonistic nightmare. With the disastrous appearance of a demagogic, egocentric and amoral orange-haired night stalker, the existing nightmare attained the enhanced state of a recurring, 24- hour, quotidian duration, which, directly threatened the liberty and coveted lifestyle of the American citizenry, ironically, inclusive of his thoughtless and unaware, lemming-like, cultish supporters.
In the presenting nightmare, no ugly blemish of revealed criminality, treason, serial mendacity nor immorality is deemed, by such numerous horde of ignorant, populist supporters, to constitute sufficient basis for his unacceptability to serve as America’s President. This persistent, daytime nightmare, which the concerned, mainstream American citizen is unable to “shake off,” is the very epitome of diurnal nightmarish trauma.
Nevertheless, the traditionally resourceful American citizenry can predictably improve the quality of both his sleep and his daytime comfort by their resolute exercise of the Nation’s historically storied character and by dynamically cancelling the presenting, diurnal nightmare by voting wisely in the coming Presidential election, next November.
-p.
*Thanks to Will Shakespeare for the amended use of the name, “Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
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