The first three months of the Trump administration have caused me more angst and trepidation than any time in my 78 years on Earth. What was until recently a healthy, vibrant economy is in turmoil and decline. National security secrets have been compromised. Democratic norms and the rule of law are continuously violated. The future of our country as a constitutional democracy is at risk.

This column was written to help me look on the bright side of this unfolding catastrophe.

We are privileged to witness historical firsts. Trump has already declared nine “national emergencies,” more than any president. The tariffs recently imposed on the entire world were declared because “foreign trade and economic practices have created a national emergency.” Americans will pay an estimated $500 billion for the tariffs imposed on imports. This will be the largest tax increase in American history.

Cognitive decline: A person in cognitive decline, President Joe Biden, left us with a healthy economy, strong alliances across the globe and a respect for democratic institutions. A self proclaimed “very stable genius,” President Trump has wrecked all that in his first 100 days. Maybe cognitive decline is not as debilitating as old people like me fear.

Climate change. Trump may have a Green Agenda. The impending recession caused by Trump’s tariffs will reduce climate changing carbon emissions. People don’t drive to work if they don’t have a job. People tend to fly less to distant locations for vacations because they don’t have an income or are concerned about losing their job. This reduces the aggregate high carbon emissions of airplanes. Many factories will reduce emissions because they are closing down or reducing shifts.

Social Security is one of the largest components of our government’s budget. Its trust fund is in danger of running out of money in the foreseeable future. Trump is fixing this. His tariffs have already sent the financial markets into a state of turbulence, led to a flight of capital from the United States and increased the likelihood of a recession. The good news is that retirement investments like 401Ks will decline in value. That strengthens the Social Security trust fund because many people in their 60s will need to work for at least several more years to have money for their retirement. Seniors will continue paying taxes into the system longer and start drawing money out of the system later.

Family reunions: With more young adults becoming unemployed they are more likely to move back in with their parents. That will increase generational togetherness. In addition, nursing homes will admit fewer people as government support programs like Medicaid are cut. Your aging parents may need to move in with you. You could be blessed with three generations under one roof.

Love thy neighbor. Trump is cutting programs that are designed to mitigate food insecurity. This gives citizens like you and me even more reason to support food banks and survival centers. Helping people in need is a central teaching in many religions.

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Polarization between Trump and anti-Trump citizens will decrease as people have more in common. Recession impacts many people and inflation hurts everybody. Discussing mutual concerns isn’t terribly contentious. In addition discussion about the weather will become more interesting. With the gutting of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) more severe storms will hit without forewarning.

This is a great conversation starter: “Hey, did you hear about that high casualty storm in New England? No one saw that one coming.”

Based on the arrest and deportation of people legally in the U.S. you can ask: “Has anyone you know been deported yet?”

Love thy enemy. Making your own country weaker and your adversaries stronger is showing unconditional love. By undermining NATO Trump is strengthening autocrats like Vladimir Putin. This increases Russia’s influence and power in Europe. Tariffs are leading our Asian trading partners to seek better trade relations with a major economic competitor on the world stage, China. Tariffs against allies like Australia and Japan undermine alliances President Biden built to contain China’s military power.

Trump has weakened our national security agencies including those designed to protect us against cyber attacks from Russia, China or other adversaries. “Signalgate” shows that our top officials are prepared to discuss sensitive national security information that any foreign intelligence agency can access.

Trump has silenced Voice of America radio broadcasts. Russia and China will no longer fear “fake news” being heard by their populations.

Let’s look on the bright side. Undermining democracy, weakening national security and tanking the economy have some unintended benefits. Realizing that may give us a moment of psychic relief as we confront the prospect of our gloomy future.

Richard Fein holds a master’s degree in political science and an MBA in economics. He can be reached at columnist@gazettenet.com.