Leaders With No Conscience

to the truth, Rand, read "In Search of he Miraculous" - Fragment of an Unknown Teaching, by P.D. Ouspensky. Ouspensky says that is one of the mysteries of life that it is governed by dead people. Ordinary people, sleeping people, easily fall under the influence of dead people, who have no shame.

These dead people go round and round, in eternal recurrence, quite dead and losing their bones along the way, inexorably playing their part from which there is no escaping, tied up with world events and affecting the lives of millions or billions of people. Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, George Bush, the owners of the global banks and the giant corporations, the mega-stars and the super-successful, it's always been like that and will be for all eternity. We ordinary people have a chance to wake up and enter a spiral of escape out of this very bad place we find ourselves born in. 

Sydney, Australia

by Robert Hoogenboom (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 269 comments [27 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Monday, Jun 9, 2008 at 10:00:42 AM

  (0+)

Sadly, they have never had a good name.  Sociopath is OK by me.  The simple Army cadet motto of "a cadet does not lie, cheat, or steal" comes close to pointing out sociopaths so they can be weeded out.  Universities used to kick out students for plagiarism, (which is lying as much as stealing) etc.  Our whole corporate culture has a sociopathic outlook in its attitude of "buyer beware", which justifies cheating.  Capitalism has gone over to the crookism side.

by John Hanks (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1822 comments [61 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Monday, Jun 9, 2008 at 5:14:38 PM

  (0+)

Thanks for the great article.

Rand wrote:

"Recognition of psychopaths, the misery they dump on everyone else, and on everything - and especially the knowledge that they can easily be revealed - might be the most important advance of all time regarding civilization more fitting of the name."

One of the problems here is how to apply the science without it being corrupted by the very creatures it is supposed to detect. Look at how the field of psychology itself has been corrupted: http://tinyurl.com/3qszy8 In the end plain old observation plus information exchange may be the best defense. "By their fruits" you will indeed know them. Just look at Bush and Cheney.

As I see it, there are two hurdles for the normal to get over with respect to dealing properly with psychopaths.

One, they really, truly are different. This is probably the hardest thing to comprehend because they do "look just like everyone else". We are conditioned to think that because there is a physical resemblance, there must be a matching mental/moral resemblance. NOT SO. What is beneficial to them and them alone is the governing principle in all their actions. What ever needs to be said or done is what they say or do, if it gets them what they want. There is no heart of gold or some essential good to be redeemed in a psychopath. You can't "save" them. They think they are just fine. Think of crocodiles or sharks. They are what they are and the only defense is to be able to recognize and avoid them.

Two, because they know they are different and they recognize who is like them, the world has been carefully constructed and managed so they can hide. Think of all the religious and social conditioning that benefits this sort of creature. All the "turn the other cheek" and exhortations against sharing information by demonizing it as "gossip". Not to mention the insane emphasis put on preserving loyalty to blood family regardless of how twisted and destructive some members are. Or the "sanctity of marraige" which keeps women (and men) bound to abominable partners. We need to free ourselves from such conditioning if we are to stand a chance.

Loyalty to family and loved ones is good, standing by a mate is good, forgiveness is good, forbearance is good, but only when applied to each situation individually. The psychopath has constructed a black/white world for human behaviour and the only one who benefits is him/her. We need to take that world back by not supporting these individuals anymore.  Don't hire them, don't work for them, don't do business with them, don't date them, for heaven's sake, don't marry/have children with them.  If your gut is telling you to run, do it.

by Sariade (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 6 comments) on Wednesday, Jun 11, 2008 at 10:27:57 PM

  (0+)