Gold.
I think about that old Girl Scout song…
“Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other is gold.”
I also think about Olympic athletes who strive for the gold. Winning their gold medals after years of hard work and persistence, and having it placed around their necks.
I think about Rumpelstiltskin who magically turned straw to gold in the familiar childhood fairy tale.
I also think about a gold wedding band. Gold is durable, and it doesn’t tarnish. It is a symbol of marriage.
But I never thought about gold for the decor of the White House. In fact, Pres. Trump went through his first 4 year term without changing anything in the People’s House. He kept it the same. No gold. Just like the presidents that came before him, the house was left alone, and he was content with the classic architecture and the historical artifacts inside it.
Times are different now.
Let me say, the gold that is ‘littering’ the walls of many rooms and hallways in the White House now is not really gold. It is not the precious gem. Instead, it is painted flourishes and wall hangings. It is flashy and too bright.
It is a statement of the man living in the house.
Pres. Trump has loved anything and everything, (it seems!) that is gold. I believe that he thinks it is a color of power, a color of brilliance. It shines. He loves seeing his name large and in gold. Right?
As I watch the changes happening these past ten months at the White House, all that added gold, I think that the next resident there, the next president, will surely have to paint over it all and pull off all the wall pieces Trump has had hung up.
I look forward to that day.
But, I also know that the demolition of the East Wing cannot be restored. By the time Trump’s term is over that huge ballroom will already be standing in its place, with many gold chandeliers hanging. There will be gold glitzy accents throughout it.
Oh. All that gold.
It is an example for us to easily see just how different Trump is. We see how he puts his personal choices first. He doesn’t consider, or worry about, the impressions he makes to us. He doesn’t worry about what really represents America. He is making major changes to the People’s House with only a little over 3 years left to live there. Yes, he loves gold. He thinks it makes him look regal, and the house look like a palace.
Gold. Trump. They go together.
I googled characteristics of gold and this popped up:
“The everlasting symbol of luck, prosperity, and wealth, gold has been desired by humans for centuries.” Hello? No wonder.
But, I also read “gold is too soft for many practical uses, so it is often alloyed with silver or cooper to increase its hardness.” It is a metal that is shiny and bright but alone not often practical.
Enough said.
Marla’s Musings 