IDOLATRY IS STILL PART OF OUR EVERYDAY LIVES, by Art Smukler, author & psychiatrist

Ancient civilizations used inanimate objects, animals, and multiple gods to pledge their allegiance and find solace in life’s travails. Obviously there were many! No microwaves. No Netflix. No Facebook. No coronary stents. No Middle East crisis. No Trump lookalikes. Well, for 2/3 of the ancients that was probably seen as a blessing.

Then a miracle happened. Over 5000 years ago there was a “scientific” breakthrough and Judaism “discovered” that there was only one true god. Hallelujah! Plus,they really lucked out. They were the chosen people and got all the rights and options to worship this one true god. Hosanna on the highest!

Well, mankind has had over 5000 years to find proof of god’s existence, but what they came up with is the discovery of a lot of other “gods “or deities to worship – Mohammed, Jesus, Buddha etc. Obviously, discovering the microwave and mounds of data on the Big Bang theory did nothing to detract from mankind’s need for a God.

I’m sure you see where this is going.

When Trump really got on a roll and started pushing his snake oil, millions of people decided that there was a chance he really could cure the world. The US needed jobs and protection from the thousands of Mexicans who mow our grass and he promised CHANGE. He called everyone and anyone names, flaunted his sexual exploits, and guaranteed the world that his orange hair was real.

He was elected president of the USA! Since he was now god, we’d all be saved. He had the answers to everything. He proclaimed that no matter what he did, even stab someone in broad daylight, that his base would still love him. “I’m the greatest. I won the popular vote. Anything I don’t like is fake news. I didn’t have sex with Stormy and didn’t tell my lawyer to pay her $130000. Why he did it I have no idea. I’m inviting Putin to meet me here. We have a wonderful relationship. He is almost as wonderful as I am.”

So why do so many people LOVE him? Even with Facebook and microwaves in every home, life is still scary. Maybe Trump really does care about us? Right? He loves us! We’re the chosen people. He came down from the mountain (Trump Tower) with the Trump Commandments, I AM THE BEST, I LOVE ME, KISS MY RING AND I’LL BLESS YOU WITH RICHES, ME ME ME, THE POPE IS NOT AS SMART AS ME, I CAN GROPE ANYONE I WANT, I CAN LIE AND IT’S THE TRUTH, I DON’T NEED ADVISORS, IF YOU DON’T PRAISE ME I WILL DESTROY YOU, I KNOW EVERYTHING!

So here we are. Anyone who wants to worship The Trump Idol is in luck. He wants and needs to be worshipped and the dangerous world around us produces the insecurity that leads millions to want and need to worship this orange-haired Wizard of Oz. Please keep in mind that as you’re enjoying your day in the church of Trump, our environment, ethics, children attacked by assault rifles, and the world stage are on the verge of possible catastrophe. Plus, and this is a big one, would you want your child to behave like The Trump idol? If I were one of his professors at the Univ. of Penna I’d be horrified. He brags about his wonderful education! Oy Vey, as they said in ancient times.

If you enjoyed reading, Inside the Mind of a Psychiatrist, you might also enjoy Dr. Smukler’s novels, Chasing Backwards, a psychological murder mystery, Skin Dance, a mystery, and The Man with a Microphone in his Ear. All are available as paperbacks and eBooks.