I certainly agree with your “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” approach. I think that the only way out of our present predicament is to view the political wars from a higher perspective or level of consciousness. I was most concerned about “Trumpian fascism” until sometime in May or June where I became more concerned about the overreaction to it.

I had a fairly nasty online exchange with the “Lincoln Project” folks and realized that Trump’s opponents now feel justified in copying his worst character traits.

Central to any recovery from our current predicament is considering a “third way” or perhaps “fourth or fifth.” The anger or hatred against Trump and his supporters merely further locks them into their narrative. If American politics were an electrical outlet we would need a ground or circuit breaker to allow the excess energy to drain our of the system.

I think a “sabbath” or even year of Jubilee from the political wars is in order before we can rebuild on more solid foundations.

Thanks for asking the deeper philosophical questions. We need that, especially in such chaotic times.