Ageless Wisdom from Charles Dickens

Hmmm, can we find perspective in these troubling times by looking back 166 years?

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…

These opening lines from Charles Dickens famous novel A Tale of Two Cities arose in my mind this week. They feel every bit as timely now as they did in 1859 when the novel was published.

The dichotomy of the times in which we are living has, of course, much to do with Donald Trump and his inflammatory actions as President of the United States. This dark turn in U.S. history may well be the impetus for that country to reign in the sweeping powers of the President.

For me personally, it is the best of times in the sense that I am retired and living comfortably although not luxuriously. However, it is also the worst of times for my RRSPs which no doubt are nosediving in value as the stock markets crash in response to Trump’s antics. I can only hope there will be enough time for them to rebound before I have to convert them.

It is the age of wisdom for me as I have 67 years of life experience to draw upon in making decisions and to evaluate what is happening. It is the age of foolishness in terms of how Donald Trump thinks, his delusions of grandeur and his conviction that he can Make America Great Again at the expense of the rest of the world without repercussions.

It is the age of belief for me as the truths I have discovered, and the values I have developed, have solidified over the years and now guide my actions. It is the age of incredulity as I shake my head daily at Trump’s new proclamations, reversals and baseless claims and at the sycophants who willingly does his bidding.

It is the season of light for me as I see the great potential that lies before us if we can put aside our differences, unite and work together. It is the season of darkness as I witness the damage Trump is inflicting and the division he is creating within the U.S. and between the U.S. and the rest of the world.

It is the spring of hope: literally in terms of the time of year and figuratively in terms of the dawn of a new season of brotherhood born out of our collective reaction to Trump’s actions. It is the winter of despair: literally as this stubborn winter refuses to relent and figuratively in terms of the dark days of Trump’s presidency.

We are living in what I would characterize as a broken mirror phase. The image of the world we see staring back at us is fractured and troubling. But we must fortify ourselves with the knowledge that Trump’s presidency is but a moment in time in the bigger picture.

As Dickens advises us, we are forever living on the dividing line between the best of times and the worst of times – leaning in one direction or the other. A tomorrow will come when the image we see in the mirror is healed, whole and encouraging once again.

~  Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

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