Between Monks and Trumps

Meanwhile, it seems Hilary Clinton’s most appealing message has simply been: I’m not TRUMP! In a time of supposed great evil, we are forced to pick between the lesser of the two. Independent candidates are completely ignored.

To be honest I fear a Clinton or a Trump presidency. But having the rare privilege to listen to monks speak about their lands as inheritors of an almost 2,000 year old tradition, a tradition that has weathered some of the most brutal and bloody periods in world history, has given me some perspective on just how ephemeral our politics are. On November 9, as half the country vents in anger at losing, the monks will continue their prayers as they always have regardless of who becomes president. The political landscape is always changing, and I am glad I was able to spend time with these mostly ignored communities of Trappist and Benedictine monks, who really are islands of stability in a sea of confusion.