Out of my mind

Michelle Obama  recently delivered what I believed to be the most convincing, most heartfelt, most authentic, and most credible speech related to the US elections. I have always been in awe of the US First Lady.  I thought her "when they go low, we go high" battlecry is particularly inspired.  And I love the way she always puts herself above the fray.  This woman defines class.  And is so good at it. I am not American, of course.  And I know that what I have to say is not particularly relevant because I am not voting in the US elections. However, as a citizen of the world, I feel I have a responsibility to point out exemplary conduct of a public official that is worth holding up as an exemplar.

To say that we live in an interesting period is a major understatement. I suspect that twenty years down, behavior science specialists will have a field day trying to make sense of the seemingly unexplainable phenomenon we are seeing today. I have been blogging and writing a column all these many years and I know what it is like to be exposed to all kinds of reactions to an opinion.  But I am completely floored down, thrown off the wall, and genuinely alarmed at the viciousness and the utter lack of restraint among those who post political comments and opinions out there.  It's like a Roman Coliseum out there, and everyone seems  poised to not just take down whoever stands in his or her way, but to maim, obliterate, annihilate. The level of violence in the discourse is alarming. This is one reason I have not gone back to column writing despite an interesting offer. It's the same reason why I have not been as active in Facebook.  The temptation to join the f...