If We Lived in a Better World

By Michael Ashley

Watching the debate last week between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, I couldn’t help thinking: What if we lived in a better world?

In a better world, there wouldn’t be two moderators—plus Harris—against Trump. In a better world, the moderators wouldn’t only fact-check one side. They would do their journalist duty and hold power accountable. They would exercise fairness in their questioning.

In a better world, these two clearly politically motivated moderators would ask important questions like this to Harris:

-If President Biden is unfit to run for reelection, how is he not unfit to continue serving as commander in chief of this nation?

Likewise, these moderators would ask this question of Trump:

-Do you have any regrets about Operation Warp Speed now we know so many people have been harmed and killed by the shots you promoted so highly?

Actually, in a better world, we wouldn’t have to decide between either of these two candidates for president. In a nation of 350 million+ people, we can do better. There are far more qualified individuals to lead this nation, people with exciting new ideas, people with higher integrity, people who could truly make this country great again.

Unfortunately, America suffers from diminished expectations.

We let the media, the pundits, and the elites they work for shape reality. They give us our candidates, turning the election cycle into a 4-year sporting match with the public on the sidelines unable to do anything but cheer on our team.

This is disenfranchisement of the highest order. But instead of contesting it, we go along with it. Me included. I’m guilty of watching the debate and cheering on one side as if I ever had any say in the outcome of this spectacle.

In a better world, we the people would reclaim our birthright. We would stop playing their game. We would get involved at the grassroots level, participating in the civic life of our failing republic. We would closely follow the news, deeply understanding the issues. We wouldn’t be swayed by bombastic soundbites presented by slick political marketers to emotionally influence us.

In a better world, we would do our own political vetting, seeking out real leaders who don’t see the next election as a way to boost their personal brand.

Likewise, we would follow the money, understanding there are powerful forces like the World Economic Forum that groom leaders to do their bidding, often through blackmail or promises of riches and power.

In a better world, we would know the American psyche has been under attack for decades. We would recognize our celebrities have been placed in positions of influence to undermine what’s good, true, and beautiful. We would realize only a handful of powerful corporations control most of what passes for entertainment and news—that they decide who is a star and who is not.

In a better world, we would ask ourselves: where were all these celebrities who claim to be so enlightened when the world shut down? Did any of them do the hard thing and speak out against tyranny? Or did they stay silent and obedient to not hurt their careers?

In a better world, we the people would demand to know why our government spends billions fortifying Ukraine while America crumbles. In a better world, we would demand accountability for all those people in positions of power who closed our schools and businesses during the pandemic, force-masking children as young as two years old.

In a better world, we wouldn’t forget what just happened to us.

In a better world, we wouldn’t go back to sleep, pretending that Biden is our president and has been in charge for the last four years. In a better world, we wouldn’t believe Donald Trump is our savior, forgetting that his administration increased the money supply, leading to today’s inflation.

In a better world, we would see past the two-party delusion that keeps us endlessly fighting with each other, instead of looking for solutions. We would realize Washington D.C. and Hollywood grow richer while the American heartland continues to be hollowed out. We would care that U.S. Steel agreed to be sold to Japan’s Nippon Steel. We would be alarmed that Taiwan produces most of the computer chips our economy requires—and make them ourselves.

In a better world, we wouldn’t let our little children get addicted to technology like phones and tablets that rob them of imaginative play. We would see the harm we are doing to our kids by enabling them to spend their childhoods on social media. We would tell them it’s not okay to stare at screens, comparing themselves to their peers, and worse, influencers. Instead, we would spend our days reading to them, playing with them, teaching the important lessons we are in danger of losing ourselves. 

That better world is possible.
It is here. We just have to wake up and see it.
Let’s make that better world, starting now.