The reactions to Donald Trump’s speech hit a fever pitch of delusion over the weekend. Claims that he was calling for a bloodbath if he lost the election were projected by Nancy Pelosi, and newspapers sensationalized the story to create traffic. Conservative media was aligned in attacking the former president, as Matt Drudge ran the headline as the marquee on the infamous “drudgereport”. The irony of Matt Drudge continuing to “pick the winning candidate” continues to linger from those who have paid attention to how Matt chooses headlines throughout the past two decades.

Society is re-living Greek tragedy. In Parmenides' philosophy, he argued for the unity and immutability of Being, suggesting that reality is unchanging and indivisible. According to Parmenides, what truly exists is eternal and immutable, while the world of appearances, characterized by change and multiplicity, is illusory. Our news media, social feeds, and conversations with friends and families has tragically shifted to the world of appearances. The truth is unchanged despite those who wish to rewrite it. The facts are whole even when others try to divide and lessen the meaning.

Narrative is written as truth, but the truth never needed to be presented, because it has always, and will always, be.

So why do political opponents continue to distance us from facts and figures and replace the truth with stories? Likely because it is human nature to take comfort in illusion. This is why many fall in love with theater and magic shows. Life does not offer control but illusion does. When a society can no longer just be, it attacks the deafening and immutable nature of being. Instead of rational thoughts we give in to our fears and anxiety to escape from clarity even when we know it is false. Narrative presents complexities for our mind to engage in because reality often bores us. In order to escape the reality of being. We enter into a world of story.

This explains why some would claim Trump to be a rising Hitler. They will remember his words of being a dictator on day one and create the narrative that it will not end there. They will ignore the facts and publish their fears and anxieties. According the Parmenide’s, this is a fundamental aspect of humanity.

If we remove the stories and stick to facts we may also discover that reality is uncomfortable.