Hearts over Heads

Last night, I had a long talk with an Indian friend considering quitting the US and going back home. The last time we spoke, which was a couple of months ago, I was trying to convince him not to because India is being ruled by a right-wing ghoul is smarter and more cruel than Trump. I was hoping a resounding defeat for Trump would make him change his mind, but even a Biden presidency wouldn't be cause for celebration. The difference between a Trump an a Biden presidency was the difference between being knee-deep and neck-deep in shit, as someone on Twitter said. So, given that even if Biden manages to squeeze past Trump, he will be in a very weak position. A weak moderate is as scary as a right-winger because the former fears the right and wants to inspire fear in the left. 

When I spoke to my friend yesterday, I made no effort to convince him to stay in the US. Where one choses to live, barring practical compulsions, is an emotional rather than a rational decision. The next few days, weeks, months, years are going to be very difficult, and most of us are going to use our hearts more than our heads to make decisions. Which is as it should be. How do you make reasoned decisions when standing on shifting sands and below a clouded horizon? The only thing certain is the world is going to look very different five years from now. How do you plan for a world that you haven't the foggiest idea about?