NARCISSISM .......

Narcissus, was intoxicated by his own beauty and self image,  but in our times we face more politicians/leaders being as intoxicated by their own selves, their achievements, their birth and possessions and worth . To name a few ; let's look at Gaddafi of Libya , Saddam Hussein of Iraq, both gone.  We can always admire some of the existing ones, like V. Putin the Tsar, Sultan R. Erdogan, and the famous Netanyahu of Israel. Both George Bush Jr. and Tony Blair showed messianic tendencies shortly after taking office, especially before it became apparent that turning Iraq into the promised paradise was a big farce .

Of course Assad of Syria is definitely in a class of his own as well.  Our Trump the latest in elected U.S. presidents, surely is a phenomena to look at separately , Oun of small Lebanon could easily follow, as well as Zimbabwe's Mugabe who might step down soon, or not. Kim Jong-Un of N. Korea, his father and grand father before him are all solid candidates.

Vanity and greed are common in most, as it is mostly driven by total blind love of the self, it is after all not very different from Narcissism.  Arrogance is one of the least appealing of human idiosyncrasies, so again , why are so many of these horrible character flaws , shared by so many of our leaders ??

We accept our leaders at their own valuations, when they tell us, then they have no need for us, no more than god has any need for his worshipers.  It is more that they cannot comprehend the idea that they could be flawed, as we lie low outside the range of their imagination.

What Adam Smith calls "  men of rank and distinction" We make and turn our politicians into celebrities, for all to see, cherish and enjoy, and label them ourselves as men of rank and distinction. Their words and gestures become ours, they invariably turn into people who feel that the eyes and attention of the world are on them, and them alone. And mankind should be disposed and willing to go with them. They deserve to belong with the gods .

These leaders with their arrogance  fail to recognize these acts of popular admiration and applause, they are more likely to turn into indifference at best, malice and ridicule at worst. Leaders who are at any time capable of uncontrollable anger , aggression, cruelty and brutality , despair and paranoia .

It is no credit to our phase of civilization to be so easily manipulated and governed by so much vanity,  egotism and self worship . Where their ambitions are never fulfilled or satisfied . All sharing the same messianic self belief, with aggressiveness, lack of remorse, and invariably financial irresponsibility that always end in dangerous and disastrous behavior .

My, as always profound thanks for listening, and sharing the blog with as many friends all over .