If you are among the many who have had to defer your regular trip to Japan due to pandemic imposed travel restrictions or a visit to this fascinating country is on your “bucket list”, consider visiting the New York Times website and take a great “pretend” tour of Tokyo.  Go to the following link to get a sense of what it is like living or visiting here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/01/travel/tokyo-vacation-at-home.html?campaign_id=7&emc=edit_MBAE_p_20201201&instance_id=24616&nl=morning-briefing&regi_id=33763219&section=aBreak&segment_id=45792&te=1&user_id=0e618d2b96b343b0f406b483f3dea9e2

While I am hopeful that the United States and the world will soon be a better and safer place, in the face of Trump’s ongoing campaign to reverse the results of his failed re-election bid and continuing to promote fear, hate and chaos, I remain greatly concerned about the damaging consequences of his

As I watched Trump’s first post-election press conference live, his delusional monologue that he actually won the election and it was stolen from him through massive conspiratorial ballot fraud, his behavior impressed me as a Shakespearean-like performance.  Specifically it reminded me of the “Lear on the heath,” passage from Shakespeare’s King Lear where the crazed Lear is out in the wilderness in a terrible storm berating the heavens, daring them to drown him and everybody else too.

In consulting various internet sites for information on King Lear, I discovered that a number of international Shakespearean authorities had already noted the comparison between King Lear and Trump, one describing the United States political drama as “Shakespearean.”

A number of psychiatric experts agree with the literary cognoscenti that Donald Trump and William Shakespeare’s King Lear have much in common.  Both share the arrogance and excessive pride common among those who suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder as well the repeated, sudden episodes of impulsive, aggressive, violent behavior or angry verbal outbursts associated with intermittent explosive disorders.

So the remaining days of the Trump administration promise to be quite eventful.  I expect that we may have not seen the worst of Trump.

Whether he is delusional or not, empowered by his vocal supporters and the silence of Republicans in the Congress, there appears to be no limit on Trump’s Shakespearean performance, demonstrating through his words and deeds that lying and scheming are acceptable and effective political strategies and tactics.

Every day he now vacillates between continuing to promote his bogus “victory” claims and dangerous rhetoric undermining the election results; hides in the White House or sulks off to his golf course with no pretense of responsibly fulfilling the duties of his office; takes steps to punish his “enemies” and others who he says have betrayed him, and considers granting pardons for his family members, political collaborators and himself for any federal crimes –– charged and not yet charged.

Finally, he has already raised more than $200 million in cash from appeals to his supporters to allegedly pay legal fees for the election challenge except that the first 75 percent of every contribution is going to a new Trump political action committee that he could use to fund his future political aspirations.

One can hope that Trump will simply fade away after January 20.  I fear his Shakespearean performance has more acts to follow.

”The game isn`t over till it`s over.’’ –– Yogi Berra