Donald Trump has taken over the global electronic marketplace. He is on every screen, his name constantly uttered by media pundits, talking heads, friends, enemies, sycophants, and, most importantly, the man on the global street. Will all this attention get him elected? I think not. He is down in the polls and the subject of much criticism, especially of late, for his crude techniques for meeting women. Some describe the encounters as assaulting women. Like everything else Trump does, his methods for introducing himself is heavy-handed, self-absorbed, crass, blunt and direct. He moves forward until pushed back-- in business, in sex and on the campaign trail. It's often not a pretty picture.
In Hillary Clinton v. Donald Trump, Debate #2-- the town hall-style meeting, with citizens asking questions-- the final question was directed to both candidates. It went something like.... What is one trait you find admirable in your opponent?
Donald Trump answered the final question more successfully than Hillary Clinton. He described her tenacity, persistence and ability to keep moving forward under the most difficult circumstances. That compliment might be double-edged, implying Hillary is something of a plodder, going forward despite all the odds. But she does have the ability to fight with great intensity in the most grueling circumstances-- a key personality trait to achieving the lofty goals she has set for herself.
Hillary struggled to find a single positive thing about Donald. She settled on saying she admired his family. Trump's family is not really a personality trait. Having a good family reflects well on one's character and priorities. But it's almost the equivalent of saying you admire their car or their house. She was reducing her commitment to finding a specific trait she found admirable in Donald Trump and offering faint praise by shifting the subject to his children. Her daughter Chelsea Clinton is friends with Ivana Trump, Donald's daughter.
Though I'm a lifelong Democrat and self-declared liberal, I will find a trait in Donald Trump that is admirable-- and something we could all benefit from-- he does not sweat the small stuff.
I can hear the roars of anger rising from the throats of Trump haters. He doesn't fret over anything, including the prospect of pushing a button to start a nuclear war. Okay, that's a flaw. But most impressive to me is the way he has moved through life without a fear of committing a faux pas.
Most of us cower at the thought of offending any single person, never mind an entire ethnic group or President of the United States. And he knew the birther claim about Barack Obama was a flat-out lie. But, by contrast, the vast majority of people are light years away from the Donald Trump approach to life. We tiptoe through our lives, jumping away nervously if a butterfly alights on our shoulder.
So, the Trump trait I admire is a willingness to not Be-Perfect. The fruitless attempt to Be-Perfect is a neurotic drive in most of us. We limit our embrace of life, or should I say... I have limited my embrace of life and all of its challenges-- by a huge timidity. Most of us, or maybe it's just me... get intimidated by the thought of not doing something perfectly well.
Trump cannot apologize under any circumstances-- but most of us fail at the other extreme-- we do not take life on with the vigor it deserves and miss out on many experiences as a result.
I was hesitant to write this piece-- knowing that the Trump name and behavior sparks a firestorm of reaction. But I decided to throw Be-Perfect to the winds and plunge ahead. For once!
