I Had To Quit Hating | ROSSI Speaks

CONFESSION OF A TRUMP HATER

I’m no longer a practicing catholic; however, perhaps there is a priest reading this who will grant me absolution!

I have disliked Donald Trump since I read his book, The Art of The Deal, in 1988. I was then Director of Agent Training for a large real estate company here in Raleigh, NC, and this was on the reading list of my predecessor.

Within the first 70 pages,Trump wrote, and I quote, “Lie to your customer convincingly three times, after that he’ll believe anything you say.” I was stunned. This man is telling me to violate my Realtor Ethics!

My God man, I earn a living selling real estate! I can’t imagine doing so by lying! Besides, we Realtors live by our Code of Ethics, a Code I respect and have lived by since 1971, and believe in its efficacy.

Can you imagine teaching agents and brokers that it’s okay to lie! No way would I recommend Trump’s book to the hundreds of brokers and agents in the Realtor Ethics classes I was teaching across the country.

My class, “Ethics, Energy, & Efficacious Behavior,” I highlight Truth as a core of Realtor Ethics. One of the Truths I teach was given me by my Mother, “If A lies to B, then A will lie to me.”

So do I lie? I know that’s the question I would ask the writer of this piece?

Let me go back many years to answer this. “Yes, I lie.” My church and my father taught me to lie.

At 7 years of age as a Catholic youth, you have your “First Communion,” a really big deal. But before you do, you must confess your sins.

That’s right, you’re 7 years old and you’re going to confess all your sins on your knees to a Priest behind a screen in a little booth (confessional).

We were taught by the nuns what to say, once the Priest slides back the screen so you may see his silhouette. Tell Father all the wrong and naughty things you’ve done and you will be given absolution.

At 7, I was just beginning to learn what was right and wrong. But this one was for sure, “I lied to my Dad.”

As the oldest child, I was raised to be perfect. I was 60 before I realized that there is no such thing as PERFECT. Regardless, my father demanded perfection in everything, especially school.

I wasn’t a straight A student, plus the nuns wrote, “Doesn’t pay attention. Failed to turn in homework.” My Dad went ballistic! He reaction was loud and swift. He would carry his anger with me for weeks, upsetting the whole house.

His punishment to C’s, D’s, and F’s was: come home from school, change out of my uniform, and do homework until he came home at 5:30. If I finished before he came home, I was to practice penmanship until he arrived.

Then after 6:00, dinner and dishes finished, we would sit at the kitchen table and he would go over the homework. He would read aloud the spelling words, and I would spell them aloud. When I missed, he would swat me on the arm with a yard stick and say, “again”… until I got it right. Miss twice and it was off to my room to study until I was ready and we would start again.

Many nights, no TV, no desert, and certainly no playing in the yard with friends. After awhile, he would lose interest and ask, “Did you do your homework?” I would lie. “You know your spelling words?” Lie again. Until report card came out and His Rage began again. To this day, multiplying in my head, I get befuddled fearing a swat on the neck from a yardstick.

I know many of you have experienced the same. So to keep my father out of his rage, I found it easier to lie. Anything done often becomes a habit. Yes, I lied to stay out of stress, and to get to play outside with my friends, and pray for summer to arrive.

Interesting how lying to my father gave me ammunition for Father Joe in the confessional. “I lied to by father 20 times.” Confession done and out of there. But the Priest would pry, “Did you have any impure thoughts?” Hell at 6/7 I didn’t ever know what was impure! So the Priest would pry further, “Have you touched yourself inappropriately?” Hell, I don’t know, sure I gave it a good look and touched every thing I could. I didn’t know it was wrong in private! So, “Yes, Father” “How many times?” he asked. Holy crap I don’t know, maybe every day. “Five” I said sheepishly. “Five? Are you sure?” He asked. “Okay, Six.” I was told this is not appropriate behavior for a young man and was given two rosaries as penance. Two rosaries, that takes a long time. So I learned never to say more than ‘once’ ever again.

It wasn’t until I left my Father’s house that I learned how harmful lies could be, how telling the truth was so much easier. Rather that make an excuse (which is a lie), just tell the truth about it and go on.

How did I learn this, well let’s just say I married a person that lied more than me. To the point of bankruptcy. Hello! I changed!

For the last 47 years I’ve been with the Love of my Life. Who… NEVER lies. Helped me realize that Excuses are tools of the Helpless, so I refuse to use them. Life is so much better.

But one must be real, people lie. Mostly to stay out of trouble, or avoid arguments, or even just to be nice. It’s not easy to avoid liars especially online. This is where a thick layer of lies are spread in continuum. We must fact check everything before we repeat it. Especially in politics as there are no ethics in politics. Bashing your opponent is unfortunately the norm.

So Trump and his incessant lying is a yardstick to my neck as WRONG. Listening to him makes me crazy and I have just allowed him to dictate the way I feel… Wait, What? Another spoken credo of mine, “Never allow anyone else to dictate how you feel!” NOW HOLD ON! That’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m allowing him to dictate how I FEEL! Wrong!

As my students will tell you… “STOP IT” is another one of my mantras.

If you are allowing someone to dictate how you feel… STOP IT!

I’m done ALLOWING Trump to dictate the way I Feel! Hell, he’ll bury himself in lies and deceit, he does not need my help!