In the last few days, a least three members of the White House staff have tested positive for coronavirus. Though still without official confirmation, there are also rumors of various infections among members of the Secret Service guarding the president.
After learning that one of his valets was infected, President Trump reportedly became "lava-level mad" at his staff, and said that he didn’t feel that they were doing all they could to protect him. Publicly, of course, the president has stated that he is not worried about the virus spreading in the White House and still goes around without a mask.
Venturing into the realm of hypothesis, many people, even those who would never admit it, have been secretly wondering what would happen if President Trump were to catch the coronavirus. He does seem to possess more than one ‘trump’ card.
Firstly, he is a male in the vulnerable age group. Secondly, he likes to gorge on fast food. Thirdly, last year his weight clocked in at 239 pounds, which, in respect to his BMI of 29.9, classifies him as overweight, on the verge of obese. Since his medical records are a state secret, we cannot know, but he may also have high blood pressure.
It would, of course, be a great pity if he were infected. No one deserves Covid-19, not even Donald Trump. However, if he were to get a taste of the coronavirus, it would perhaps not be an entirely bad thing. It might heighten his capacity for empathy, which right now is at the same level as that of his good friend, President Bolsonaro of Brazil.
The Covid-19 experience certainly had a salutary effect on the mindset of Prime Minister Boris Johnson as well as on that of various members of the Spanish government. It woke them all up to the realization that the virus is dangerous and that it can easily infect and kill real people (such as themselves).
When they became ill, they suddenly realized that those with Covid-19 were not a nebulous sector of the population, who probably got the virus because they were old and sick, or because they did not wash their hands ten times a day.
After suffering from the coronavirus, these politicians had the sudden Technicolor revelation that they themselves could very well have been included in the death statistics. The British government had even devised a Plan B in case the prime minister died. In Boris Johnson’s own words, “It could have gone either way.”
So, if the same thing happened to President Trump, this event could trigger an awakening. Having coronavirus might cause him to understand that over 100,000 deaths is not an acceptable price to pay for economic progress (even in a very large country).
A closer acquaintance with the virus might even help him to adjust certain of his (distorted) mental perceptions such as his belief that the virus will spontaneously disappear or that it can be cured with the right dose of Clorox. He might even realize that he is not the greatest president in US history.
Needless to say, the contagion among the White House staff also seems to mystically echo the implacable workings of karma, a useful Sanskrit word that has been adopted into the English language. Succinctly defined, karma is the result of a person's actions as well as the actions themselves.
At its most basic level, karma is often erroneously regarded as luck, whether good or bad. In this way, people variously attribute things like becoming ill, finding a significant other on a dating site, or failing an exam to the workings of karma.
But karma is not a matter of luck. If we believe in karma, then all of the things that happen to us are ultimately due to our own influence. What happens to us happens because we caused it with our actions.
According to the teachings of Buddha, if a person commits an act of good or evil, he himself becomes the heir to that action. This is because that action never actually disappears. In other words, everything that happens to a person is determined by his/her past thoughts, words, and deeds.
So, if all of this is really true (and, of course, it may not be), karma would definitely be bad news for President Trump. Bluntly speaking, if karma ever kicks in at the White House, Donald Trump is toast.
One of the lesser known aspects of karma is that it has 12 laws. These laws are too complex to examine in any detail here, but even a cursory glance at a few of them shows that the outlook is not bright for the president
For example, the First Law of Karma is: “as you sow, so shall you reap”. Thoughts and actions have consequences and everyone should act accordingly. If we apply that to President Trump and his Covid-19 policy of opening up America without regard to the many thousands of people that will die, then he is evidently at extremely high risk of infection. There is no need to explain why.
The Third Law of Karma is “refusal to accept what is will still be what is”. Simply put, President Trump must first accept the present circumstances in order to change them. However, it is well known that he lives in a state of permanent coronavirus denial. So, this is not going to happen any time soon.
The Eighth Law of Karma is one of hospitality and giving: “demonstrating our selflessness shows true intentions”. This means that what President Trump claims to believe should be manifest in what he does. If he says that he has the best interests of the American people at heart, then this should translate into actions and policies. So far, this has not occurred since the only person that he worries about is himself and his possibility of getting elected for a second term (God forbid).
The Eleventh Law of Karma is that “nothing of value is created without a patient mindset”. This signifies that rewards are claimed only through patience and persistence not through wishful thinking. Since President Trump has all of the patience of a three-year-old in the throes of a temper tantrum, he evidently gets a zero on this one too.
Finally, the Twelfth Law of Karma is that “the best reward is one that contributes to the whole”. This means that the end result is of little value if it leaves little or nothing positive behind. Of course, Trump’s presidential mandate has not finished as yet but his current legacy is a wake of personal and economic devastation that has not been seen since the Great Depression.
So, perhaps the karma menu for Donald Trump will eventually include Covid-19, seasoned with ultraviolet light, and washed down with a can of bleach. It is certainly a meal that he richly deserves.
And if he did become ill with coronavirus, there would be no need to consult his medical team, whose advice he invariably ignores. He could call in one of his witch doctors, who would cast a few spells and tell him that his illness was caused by a flying Chinese 5-G cellphone mast sent across the ocean from Wuhan to spray deathly chemicals on him.
After that, if he still objects to his karma, he can always fire Buddha.
