Trump and Elon, appointed as head of the newly developed Department of Government Efficiency, is apparently broken beyond repair. Elon has condemned the administration’s Big Beautiful Bill now passed by Congress, and signed by the president, and is working at developing an America political party. All this is happening as Tesla sales bottom out and Musk investments in government contracts are threatened.
It will take more than a lifetime or an environmental holocaust to send the richest man in the world into poverty. But we can be assured Musk will do what he is able to retain his fortune and upend those who stand in his way, including the commander in chief of the worlds largest militarized nation. This is a particularly challenging, even dangerous situation for the rest of us, as neither one of them have an empathetic bone in their body. Both are narcissists supreme.
Narcissism doesnt leave much room for empathy. Empathy is the ability to be aware of and share in another person’s feelings, experiences and emotions. If one is so wrapped up in themselves, its hard for others to enter their picture in any meaningful way.
Elon has been quoted as saying, The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy! Im not sure that is true, that we are too empathetic; perhaps Im too critical. We dont always put our values into action, but at least we have them. Like the values: Love your neighbor as yourself; or, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you; or, Welcome the stranger; or even, envisioning the merciful and peacemakers as blessed.
Or how about these biblical sayings: Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Dont we do that? Or in 1 Peter, Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. I know people who have integrated this into their life. Or again in Philippians 2, Let each of you look out not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. We have vocations in the West dedicated to this idea.
Maybe Elon has identified our greatest asset as our greatest weakness. Probably he is accurate, looking through the eyes of a wealthy narcissist.
Our president has been identified as a narcissistic personality by Dr. Jocelyn Sze. Although she admits one cant diagnose any public figure without personal examination, she offers some food for thought. When your sense of self-exaltation requires tanks, flyovers and up to $45 million for a birthday party, were no longer in the realm of cake and candles were squarely in Criterion 1 of narcissistic personality disorder: a grandiose sense of self-importance.
Furthermore, she writes: Research shows that those in positions of power, especially in politics, are more likely to exhibit traits of grandiose narcissism. When narcissistic control seeps into leadership, it distorts truth, erodes trust and destabilizes institutions. The more we understand these dynamics, the better we can protect both the public and the health of our democracy.
There are always those who are able to find fault with our presidents and public figures. Biden is taking his blows, especially from Trump and his followers. They also like to raise questions about many of the decisions of the Obama administration. But when it comes to questions of character, I dont know any president who has lied as much as the sitting president, or exalted himself as much, or claimed to do and be the greatest in everything. Its impossible to picture President Trump leaving the White House and building homes for Habitat for Humanity, like a Jimmy Carter. One waits (but not with great expectation), for the appearance of some semblance of humility or empathy.
Perhaps, difficult as it is, one needs to have empathy for someone so trapped in his own wealth, power, and ego, that he cant get out of that shell. Its a pity, but its obvious to us now, if not before, it happens. One just hopes it doesnt do too much more damage in the process, sending the innocent to Alligator Auchwitz, threatening the poor and ill to lives of despair, and promoting self-interest as the Golden Rule for our country.
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