When I heard Thom Hartmann mention that an indigenous term for what is happening in the Trump administration is “Wetiko,” without going into detail, I decided to look it up. Indeed, it does apply to the current situation

Wetiko is a Cree term (also known as Windigo in Algonquin) which refers to a sickness of spirit which can operate either at the individual or collective level. It is characterized as a “cannibalistic consumption of the self” which is driven by greed, the desire for power, and an exaggerated sense of importance ([Wetiko ‘Mind Virus’: [Exploring The Myth & Meaning Of This Disease] » Mazzastick](https://www.mazzastick.com/wetiko-mind-virus-myth-legend…/)). This pretty much seems to describe what is happening now in the Trump administration, aided by his Republican helpers in Congress, and by Trump’s sycophantic base. (Note: While there are longer and more comprehensive articles about Wetiko, I chose this one from Mazzastick as an introduction to the term. By the way, I recall Windigo being mentioned in introductory psychology textbooks when I was teaching that topic.)

The fact that it refers to entire societies as well as individuals, is one reason for me to write this post, since mental disorders described in the DSM invariably are applied only to individuals, consistent with the individualistic bias of the United States’ culture. The other reason for writing this, is that the existence of this term, and similar concepts in many, if not all, cultures, shows that toxic greed is, and has been, present in various human societies for a very long time. Thus, while we probably do not need another term for a psychological disorder that seems to affect Donald Trump, in addition to the ones which have already been applied to him, we do need a term to describe the mass insanity that he is creating around him.

I think that we do need a holistic approach to undoing what is happening to our government now, in addition to centering on Donald Trump. Without the power granted to him – even though he has no right to it in the first place – by his cult following and helpers in government, he would never have been able to create the current situation in which he is trying to consolidate power as an autocrat, and dismantle longstanding government institutions. As we know, he has found an extremely wealthy helper in Elon Musk, at least for now. How DOGE came into being is a topic for another post; in any case, this all-consuming sickness of the spirit goes far beyond Donald Trump, and it has become a problem to all of us, even though most of us are not “infected’ with this “mind virus.” It extends through the political realm, to the environmental, and the personal, perpetuating a harmful, “vicious circle,” or cycle, if allowed to continue. In fact, we appear to be reaching the endgame of such a cycle which has been developing for several decades, probably going back to an inception in the 1950s, but which has definitely accelerated since the election of Reagan in 1980.

According to Paul Levy, who is an authority regarding Wetiko, the cure for Wetiko is the evolution of the human spirit According to Levy, Wetiko is highly contagious, like a contagious virus (think Covid-19), but it is transmitted socially (Levy says unconsciously, which I think is true in the sense that Trump cultists don’t realize what is happening to them). Levy also calls it a form of shared psychosis ([Dispelling Wetiko: Breaking the Curse of Evil – Theosophical Society in America](https://www.theosophical.org/…/dispelling-wetiko…)).

However, Wetiko ultimately acts as a powerful evolutionary force, says Levy. Here, he is talking about evolution of the human spirit. He refers to “waking up,” from a dreamlike state of Wetiko, which seems awfully similar to being “woke.” (Just think of all the “anti-woke” rhetoric coming from the Trump crowd.) I think that a social and political awakening from this toxic state, may in fact be the resolution of the current “Fourth Turning” period, which is a crisis that historians Howe and Strauss noted that humanity has faced on a repeating cycle every 80 years or so. This year does in fact mark 80 years since the last one ended with the culmination of WWII. However, this current crisis will take a while longer to resolve, and the benefits of such a resolution will become more evident over a period of another 20 years or so after that. In fact, Howe is now predicting a progressive reawakening in the coming years, as the resolution to the current crisis.

Anyway, that is my hope. If we don’t get out of this vicious cycle, we will be facing a much more authoritarian, and dystopian, world of inequality and prejudice than most of us want. Fortunately, most of us already are “woke,” so I believe that we can get the job done.

Here’s your homework!