No…I am not referring to the “Donald”. As hard as it is to grasp these days, there are some things actually larger than Trump. I am talking about “Drama”. No doubt, drama has been an organic element in the human creature since the dawn of time. And like that human creature, it has evolved and shifted in the way it intertwines with our culture and society. But make no mistake about…it is not a new element in our world. The term “Drama” covers a lot of territory. It might be the incessant complication in every aspect of our lives…nothing is simple anymore. It could be the inescapable incompetency of the people we encounter every day…from city hall to the grocery store to the fast food restaurant to the schools our kids attend. It might be the inexplicable lunacy practiced by those we elect and select to be the leaders in our cities, states, and nation. But I want to zero in on a more specific meaning of drama.
One
definition of drama follows: A situation
or succession of events in real life having the dramatic progression or
emotional effect characteristic of a play.
Keep in mind…there are theatrical plays and there are non-theatrical
plays. Although the list can be quite
expansive, there are essentially five basic elements to a play: plot, character, tension, language, and spectacle. Of
these five, it would seem that we as a people have come to place the most
emphasis on spectacle. At a minimum, it is the one that sucks most
of the air from the room. The play, as
expressed through the drama, is an intended message of fact and/or fiction for
the purpose of entertainment, expression, recreation, or persuasion. It strikes me that a healthy portion of the
drama that we are experiencing in our lives today…at least the non-theatrical variety…falls
into the category of persuasion. I submit that what we might call traditional
or conventional drama falls mainly into the other categories of entertainment,
expression, and recreation; aspects offering various rewards to those seeking a
diversion from other essential
elements of their daily treks. But when
we venture into the domain of dramatic
persuasion, we likely abandon the pursuit of diversion and enter into the
dynamics of manipulation, deceit, and scandalous behavior. This is the essential element of drama that
I believe has morphed into a disproportionately destructive part of our nature
as human creatures.
Now
persuasion in and of itself is no great threat; in the course of human
existence, it is perhaps the essence of people coming together in pursuit of
common good and advancement. That constructive
type of practical persuasion has
often taken forms such as open and honest debate, ethical advocacy in
journalism, and the simple act of trying to persuade your life partner that you
are right and they are wrong. But when
we inject the art of dramatic persuasion into the picture, we open all sorts of
fertile opportunities for charlatans, hypocrites, self-driven narcissists,
and…dare I say it…dishonest politicians.
This vein of drama intrudes into our personal lives through family
interactions, through our professional lives in workplace dynamics, and has
unfortunately wormed its way into areas where it should not be tolerated. It is pervasive.
I
am talking about areas that should be driven by hard truths, cold facts, sober
reasoning, and a firm grasp on the perspective of how the specific subject fits
into the overall theme of existence. For
instance, we should always expect drama
to exist in high school teens and that it will extend to all elements of
the high school environment. But we
should be able to rely on the administrators, teachers, and coaches involved in
those pursuits to largely eliminate the drama where necessary and establish
clear lines of authority and expected norms of behavior. Responsible
parenting requires that drama be excised from the teaching of fundamental
life lessons such as ethics and morals.
The process of aging and
maturation…physical, mental, and emotional…demands that we learn from our
mistakes that are largely driven by dramatic elements, so as not to repeat them
in our futures. And most of all, when we
approach those areas of human existence that are the most serious and elemental
of all…respect for things like basic human
dignity, tolerance for others’ faith and religious beliefs, the equal and nondiscriminatory
rule of law, fundamental and responsible freedom of personal expression through
speech and action, personal accountability for one’s actions, civil obligations
of a responsible citizen, and the responsible, transparent, deliberate, honest,
and competent administration of our government…we should all agree that the
so-called art of dramatic persuasion should be eliminated from our foundational
decision making processes.
Our
lives are wondrous, rewarding, joyful, sometimes woeful and agonizing journeys
that we have been blessed with by our creator.
Within the context of those journeys lies a kaleidoscope of emotions and
human interactions. Certainly among that
group are all of the elements
contained in the world of drama. Life is
to be lived, not just accomplished. But
it is incumbent upon us all…as decent
humans, caring and loving parents, active members of larger influential
entities, responsible citizens, and small parts of a thriving and evolving
planet…to not only maintain a sober realization of the clear line between those
elements of drama known as practical persuasion and dramatic persuasion.
Drama
is a spice that when used with discretion, makes the dish of life much more
pleasing and rewarding. But just like
salt and pepper, when it is inappropriately inserted into the recipe or added
in excessive amounts, it can destroy the final product. The drama we are experiencing today in our
culture, in our society, in our schools, in our government, and
unfortunately…even in our religious faith…is being carelessly blended in where
it has no place and in magnitudes that destroy properly intended goals and
pursuits. In my opinion, drama has gotten too big for its britches. Let’s take a look at some of the drama that
surrounds us.
The
drama of our nation’s educational establishment…
https://amgreatness.com/2025/03/15/can-the-american-university-be-saved/
The
drama in our justice system…
https://americanmind.org/salvo/overturning-ikelo-i/
The
drama in our energy sector…
https://amgreatness.com/2025/03/19/revive-nuclear-energy-in-america/
The
drama of American foreign policy and global politics…
https://americanmind.org/salvo/cold-civil-war-gone-global/
https://mrctv.org/blog/charles-kohlhaas/decision-time-europe-and-others
How
do we expose, diminish, and eliminate the counter-productive drama that
seemingly permeates every moment of our day? It must be exposed. It must be acknowledged and called out. We avoid it when possible and confront it when it
gets up in our face. The sheet covering the
madness must be pulled back. Each of us
has to read, think for ourselves, and act on the realization that real change
starts with the individual. For example…
Here is the truth about Hamas, Palestine, and the lunacy of
any two-state solution propaganda: https://www.7octparliamentarycommission.co.uk/
Here
is the truth about the liberal/progressive cabal that began with
Obama, sabotaged Trump’s first term, blew wide open during the Biden Administration,
and is now being dealt with under Trump’s second term: https://amgreatness.com/2025/03/20/the-left-knew-they-were-lying-to-us-all-along/
And
in closing, here is a subject that is quite illustrative of the drama we are
discussing. Why do we choose to ignore the
oftentimes simple and direct explanations and construct bizarre conspiracy
theories that are somehow more exotic than the truth? The principle of Occam’s razor tells us that
the simplest answer is typically…though not always…the correct one. And yet, we oftentimes choose to ignore the
facts that lie before us and instead pursue the fictions that are dangled
before our eyes. We surely do love our
drama: https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2025/03/lee-harvey-oswald-epsteins-short-course-2.php
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