“We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and restore its promise for all of our people. Together we will determine the course of America and the world for many, many years to come.” – Donald Trump, Jan. 2017.

Those words began the inaugural address of one Donald Trump in front of a “record” crowd. It began his quest to take this country to a new place and rebuild our foundations. Maybe it was the first fable of his reconstruction, pun intended.

In Trump’s mind, that “place” might have been one where he was highly approved and highly adored by people other than his immediate family and acquaintances. That place might have been one where he was regarded as someone who was highly effective and highly empathetic, but that was highly questionable. Why?

Because Donald Trump couldn’t “can’t get there from here.”

And now that his steroid-infused economic growth has been undercut in a very short amount of time due to a mishandling of the worst pandemic of the past few decades, Trump is again talking about another one of his “fables of reconstruction.”.

Besides having one of the most original videos for a song, R.E.M.’s “Can’t Get There From Here” also has one of the greatest descriptions that one could ever tag to a person like Donald Trump.

“Mr. Citywide, hypnotized, suit-and-tied” might be one of the most appropriate phrases to define our current president. But with all of his 2020 campaign promises, fiery rhetoric, Twitter rants, bang and blame, and obvious disconnect, he is about to realize that he still “can’t get there from here.”

This “world is a monster” right now. COVID-19, North Korea, hurricanes, mass shootings, segregation along racial and socio-economic lines, and lack of equitable health care have become the course of America. And the way Trump is handling all of these is “bad to swallow you whole.”

What Trump refuses to do is realize that he has a lot to learn. He has to become a student himself to others rather than the person who claims to already know it all. And he will have to get over his own ego, which is the biggest “troll at his door.”

Actually, I did not know that Trump’s I.Q. was one of the highest. And I do not feel stupid for not knowing that.

But I am insecure about where the country is going because the “there” and “here” I have in my mind are not the same “there” and “here” that Trump seems to have.

Trump touts his incredible intellect and memory. In 2017 he was quoted as saying,

“People don’t understand, I went to an Ivy League college. I was a nice student. I did very well. I’m a very intelligent person….”

It is safe to say that I did not attend an Ivy League college. But there is Philomath, GA, and “I’ve been there. I know the way.”

As the song goes,

“If you’re needing inspiration, Philomath is where I go.”

Really, I have. It’s an actual place in Oglethorpe County, GA not far from where I grew up in Greene County. It is an unincorporated town situated between “Lexington and Crawfordville,” according to the liner notes for Eponymous. Actually, I have spent time in both of those other tiny metropolises as well. There are not many “citywide, suit-and-tied” people in those towns. But they have very good memories.

The name “Philomath” has a special meaning. It is from the Greek word meaning “a lover of learning.” At one time there was a well-known boys school in that Georgia town. The word “philomath” also has a leaning toward a “love for mathematics,” and when the president starts playing around with health care costs and tax reform, he is playing with some fuzzy math.

Fuzzy math means bad calculations. Bad calculations mean stunted progress. Stunted progress will not get you “there from here.”

Simply put, Donald Trump probably needs to spend time in Philomath because there he can “know the lowdown.” But getting to Philomath would require a humility, an empathetic nature, a willingness to be among those less fortunate, and the ability to take criticism. And empathy is one of our nation’s biggest deficits.

And Trump is not capable of those things.

In short, it would require a need for an education not offered in the halls of an Ivy League college, but on the roads that really link communities together – even the small highways that connect Lexington and Crawfordville via Philomath.

Just watch out for the “deer” in the road.

 

“Can’t Get There From Here”

When the world is a monster bad to swallow you whole
Kick the clay that holds the teeth in, throw your trolls out the door
If you’re needing inspiration, Philomath is where I go by dawn
Lawyer Jeff, he knows the lowdown, he’s mighty bad to visit home

(I’ve been there I know the way) Can’t get there from here
(I’ve been there I know the way) Can’t get there from here
(I’ve been there I know the way) Can’t get there from here

When your hands are feeling empty, stick head jumpin’ off the ground round
Tris is sure to shirr the deer out, Brother Ray can sing my song

(I’ve been there I know the way) Can’t get there from here
(I’ve been there I know the way) Can’t get there from here
(I’ve been there I know the way) Can’t get there from here

Hands down, Calechee bound, landlocked, kiss the ground
Dirt of seven continents going round and round
Go on ahead, Mr. Citywide, hypnotized, suit-and-tied
Gentlemen, testify

If your world is a monster bad to swallow you whole
Philomath, they know the lowdown, throw your trolls out the door

(I’ve been there I know the way) Can’t get there from here
(I’ve been there I know the way) Can’t get there from here
(I’ve been there I know the way) Can’t get there from here
(I’ve been there I know the way) Can’t get there from here
(I’ve been there I know the way) Can’t get there from here
(I’ve been there I know the way) Can’t get there from here
(I’ve been there I know the way) Can’t get there from here