I want to get all my cards face up on the table of life. This essay is a follow-up to my previous essay. To set the stage for this essay, this article deals with our previous mob boss, Donald the Dumb. He has been indicted twice by Special Counsel Jack Smith. In a week or so, he will face the charges of the District Attorney of Fulton County, Fani Willis. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has indicted Trump. That totals four indictments. Trump was also convicted in a defamation case brought by E. Jean Carol to the New York Supreme Court. Carol has gone back to court with an amended lawsuit.

To any observer of jurisprudence, a handful of indictments in the past year are a lot of legal problems. Additionally, after three indictments, one possible indictment, and one civil case in which he was found guilty, Trump and the Trump corporation have been charged in over 4,000 suits before he became president. If you are interested in the litany of lawsuits, go to the legal affairs of Donald the Dumb.

Psychologists have raised all sorts of reasons for Trump’s legal difficulties, which range from paranoid, sadistic, psychopathic, narcissistic personality disorder, malignant narcissism, and a near-total lack of feelings of empathy.

A couple of hours before flying to his second indictment by the Special Prosecutor Jack Smith, Trump wrote on his Truth Social page, “IT IS A GREAT HONOR, BECAUSE I AM BEING ARRESTED FOR YOU. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” Hmmm. I don’t know of anyone for whom Trump is being arrested.

Nonetheless, all this is a backstory. I know why Trump has spent his entire life running into legal roadblocks. Trump never grasped a crucial universal truth. Because of that, his goose is cooked.

It is still hot, having just been taken out of the oven.

Hence, this essay about Trump is a metaphor for our lives. It is too late for Trump. Nevertheless, it isn’t too late for the rest of us. We must grasp a universal truth provided by two thinkers who understood life and how best to live it.

The first teacher was St. Francis of Assisi, who lived in Italy in the late 12^th century. In my last article, I mentioned Giotto’s painting of St. Francis.

Giotto’s St. Francis

This essay addresses a oneliner from The Prayer of St. Francis. “For it is in giving that we receive.” Interestingly, Buddha said essentially the same thing in the 6^th century BCE, “When you wish good for others, good things come back to you. This is the law of nature.”

Gautama Buddha

Inadvertently, I paraphrased both thinkers when I came up with this saying, “It is in giving that we get.” We need to get out of the me and be more involved with the we as we journey down our yellow brick roads of life.

Unfortunately, Trump wasn’t able to change from me to we. Trump is in a dead end. He is lost while living in his personal cul-de-sac. As a result, Trump needs help for only one reason. He wants to make a name for himself. If someone doesn’t play his game of personal endearment, he will throw everyone under the bus. I can only name several of Trump’s family, his wife and/or five children. When push comes to shove, which of them would he protect if it cost him his money or fame? Trump claims he is a martyr. Ask yourself, for which family member would he give up his life?

Trump is merely a negative metaphor for each of us. Jot down the names of people you love and wish to protect. St. Francis and Buddha taught that you benefit when you are as concerned about others as yourself. The more you give, the more you get. It sounds like an oxymoron.

Think about this truism. Help someone. Granted, that person does benefit. However, you will benefit as much. If you want to enjoy a life well-lived, the more you get, the more you will get.

The following video is of Trump leaving Washington after being indicted. Trump comment’s about people raining on his parade.