Senator Ben Sasse recently chided his political party for its obscurantism, noting it has to choose between Conservatism and “shot-termism.” Sasse defected from the kool-aid drinking Trump dimension of the party last year,, seeing that they had hitched their wagon to Trump while ignoring the long-term consequences of that decision. Trump was, and is, the embodiment of this “short-termism”, having shown us egregiously how that he could not make any decision or say anything without it being about himself. For you Christians who might have stumbled into this “pit of snakes” (wink, wink), it makes me think of astute wisdom from C.S. Lewis who described sin as, “a preference for immediate satisfaction over a believed-in pattern of glory.” The importance of that pithy observation is the need for belief in “pattern of glory” not the immediate gratification with “belief” without any consideration of its impact on others and on the future. I can’t yet put it into words, but there is some relationship between the “belief” of some Christians and their adamantine, fervent loyalty to Trump and his “disciples.” Belief is, on the outset, merely a cognitive grasp on a bit of verbal fodder that was has found attractive, without any of the faith which would come about if they would employ a “discerning spirit” and delve into the “weighter matters of the law” and language.
Short-termism is addiction. This mindset announces, “I have found what I want to believe, I don’t want to be dissuaded in the least sense, don’t bother me with the nuances of this belief, if you agree with me come along for the ride; otherwise, ‘get thee hence.'” As a therapist I have worked with addictive disease clients. I am currently working on my own addiction to alcohol. An addictive substance, including an idea in a very real sense, is so compelling that one can check-out from reality even to the point that, in case, death will ensue. An unexamined belief–political, spiritual, or in any other sense–can lead to tragedy for self and for other.
The ONLY Truth in Politics 