Presidential Election Psychology
This blog post is written on September 11, 2024, a day after the first Trump-Harris televised debate. Private and public speculation has been frenzied and frantic. Some have suggested or implied that the fate of America, even of the planet, will be determined by the presidential election—“the most important election in our history.” Democrat and Republican partisans are employing every influence trick to nudge, scare, or bludgeon you to vote their way. I am not in that business. Rather, I have a modest suggestion that is easier said than done: think, really think, for yourself. Since neither you nor I have the time or expertise to parse every essential detail required to make the best voting decision, I limit myself to briefly discussing two related topics. First, let’s consider an often mentioned but rarely practiced mental activity – mindfulness. Our simple working definition is mindfulness as your being aware of what is happening to you internally ...