Illusion vs. Reality

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/star-dancer-tom-olbert/1137460943

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1037624#longDescription

Fluidic existence...The solid state of reality shifting into the fluid realm of thought, desire, dream...

And, nightmare. Shaped by fear. And, hate.

The foundations of democracy...once thought as solid as bedrock...were recently shaken by an explosion of those who trust more in the unseen. The claims of unseen conspiracy. Of election fraud, deep state manipulation and fake news. Nightmares usually confined to the pages of science fiction. As was the sight of angry mobs storming the nation's capital in this day and age. Fiction and fantasy seem to have broken down the walls of reality.

And, it goes on...

Not just in the perception of physical reality, but something else that may be even more basic...The basic definitions of right and wrong. Of the cornerstones of moral norms which define civilized life.

In a dystopian future science fiction like "Star Dancer" social norms are horribly distorted, basic human rights and values giving way to futuristic versions of the dark ages.

In contemporary reality, such basic norms seem no more solid than wax reshaped by the fire of politics. In a nightmare vision, our nation's capitol is besieged by rioters, many openly brandishing banners antithetical to the ideology of this nation. Openly calling for the mob rule executions of public officials. Many of those officials had to barricade themselves in their offices, their lives in apparent danger. Now, half those officials (the half of the ousted party) are downplaying the incident as a minor occurrence, no more rowdy than an ordinary tourist visit. (I wasn't aware tourists made a regular habit of breaking windows and building gallows with the Vice President's name on them. Someone really should look into hiring better tour guides.)

One made the comment that (as he was cowering in his office with the door blocked, presumably) he took comfort in the fact that the people attacking capitol police officers, smashing in doors and storming offices were people who "loved this country" - seriously? And, he went on to make the blatantly racist comment that if it had been Black Lives Matter protestors doing the same thing, "I'd worry." (Yeah, you have to be particular about who's lynching you. I mean, one has to have standards.)

More recently, people who've downplayed the storming of the capitol and flatly refused to investigate it have also taken great moral outrage at an elected official denouncing human rights abuses at the hands of America's friends and foes alike, claiming the statement blurred the moral lines between American allies and enemies. Huh.

So, let's get this straight...It's okay to lay siege to America's capitol and threaten to kill its elected officials, so long as you do it waving an American flag (albeit alongside a Confederate flag) but it's not okay to criticize American friends and foes in the same breath for committing the same illegal acts.

The reason for this moral ambiguity is clear. The ousted party lives in fear of the same element that launched the siege and which still controls the party by sheer numbers. An element which embraces the blatant lie that the election was rigged. They control the vote, so they define the truth. And, the shape of the party. Of reality itself, as far as the party "leaders" are concerned. The party has ousted one of its own leaders simply for not following this obvious lie, in the name of "unity." Their unity...their "truth"...flies in the face of actual reality. And, of conventional morality.

A party which has always called itself the standard bearer of "traditional morality" has proven by its own actions that truth is meaningless to them and that reality is whatever their voters choose to believe it is. Morality is not bedrock. Truth is fluid. Numbers are what count, not facts. Fear is what defines the party platform, not integrity. And, justice is extremely selective.

This today is the opposition. Tomorrow, it may again be the dominant party. In the long run, though... The question is... can the country survive without a common sense of basic values? Or, even a basic understanding of what those values are?

No democracy can survive if its words are divorced from its values, and if its direction is determined not by moral codes and standards of civilization, but by armed mobs at the gate.