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It is heartbreaking to watch the death toll rise across the nation as the Coronavirus continues its invasion of mankind. It is gut-wrenching to watch the president as he takes advantage of the tragedy in his daily griefings/distress rallies/campaign appearances to boast of his accomplishments while facts on the ground tell a vastly different story. And, confronted with this alarming and unsettling cognitive dissonance, who, and what, are we to believe?

Are we to believe the president, with his daily re-writing of history and flaunting of the advice of medical experts whose knowledge on the subject far exceeds his comprehension? Are we to believe the statements of those health experts whose advice the president continually contradicts? Are we to believe the “news” anchors on Fox, who continue to spread misleading stories in defense of their leader’s performance? Or are we to believe the pundits on MSNBC, who tout a story almost the exact opposite of that being proffered on Fox?

I continue to be troubled by a recent exchange I had with an old friend from grammar school who said, in all earnestness, when I shared my conviction that the president has failed us by not acting sooner when he first became aware of the epidemic, “I think he’s been doing a pretty good job.” This person, now a retired professional, was among the most gifted in our class, so his spoken approval of the president’s performance literally floored me when I heard it.

Although we quickly agreed to disagree, the memory of that conversation haunts me daily as I continue to witness the many ways the president reveals how far out of his depth he is in his attempts to guide us safely through this emergency. Does he listen to Fox, I wonder?  Does he believe the president’s admonitions not to trust the news media? Does he even follow the daily onslaught of Coronavirus news? Or does he avoid it because it’s too depressing, or frightening, or both? Maybe he’s lost touch with the concept of questioning everything one reads, watches, or hears? Or perhaps, and I hate to even consider this option, he is simply too busy to be bothered with such matters.

I suspect the latter condition may explain why much of the nation accepts the president’s utterances without question. After all, most schools don’t even teach classes in government anymore. But I find it hard to believe my friend falls into the latter category. He’s simply too smart for that!

So, what on earth could cause otherwise intelligent people to accept the tragically flawed actions of this president, to approve of them without reservation or question and not feel, deep down, that there is something very wrong with this picture?

What can we do to waken people like my friend from their complacency before it’s too late? What can we do to activate their internal skeptics and motivate them to view the words and actions of this president in a manner comporting more closely with reality?

I confess I have many more questions than answers, but if we don’t find answers to some of these questions, not only will many more people die from this epidemic, but the very real possibility exists that trump may end up being president for another four years. And the thought of that possibility should be enough to make the dead run screaming from their graves in terror!

Tim Konrad