I've mentioned in the past that I was ambivalent about taking my last cruise before and after the cruise itself. There were good things I could say about the cruise line/ship and bad things I could say about the cruise line/ship. But I ended up having the same mixed feelings after taking the cruise.
Why do I mention this?
Well, I still participate in the ship's Facebook forum and post appropriate things there. I also watch an occasional Vlogger video about their experiences on the ship and a thought came to mind: We search for meaning in the things we have done, and often need to examine the experiences of others to determine the meanings of many of our experiences. This tendency of our species isn't as crazy as it sounds. There are some things that need to be examined by the many, so that a common understanding can evolve.
The other day, someone asked a GOP candidate for the presidency a simple question: "What was the root cause of the American Civil War?" Most of us would give the simple answer: "Slavery." But this woman couldn't do so. Even when asked this question 10 years before, she couldn't bring herself to give this simple answer. Why would someone have problems giving this simple answer to what should have been a "softball" question? The answer to this question is just as simple: The base of her political supporters rejects both the cause and result of the war between the states. And behind her non-answer is a denial of the common understanding of the war that most people in most of the 50 states have come to accept.
When 160 years have passed and a political candidate can not give the simple answer to what should be a simple question regarding our civil war, that candidate is not qualified to be president. Hopefully, this person will never be closer to the White House than on a guided tour....
