Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Irrational Leaders
It is truly dangerous when those in leadership positions operate not from
reason or logic or right interest for all, but from irrational positions, keying
off private emotional or psychological needs, and self-dedication.
The world has known many of this sort in recent times:
Adolph Hitler was the most notorious example unless it was
Joseph Stalin, who slaughtered millions
Then there was the "cultural revolution" in China which consigned many
innocent city dwellers and "intellectuals" to harsh manual labor in the country-
side. Many of these folks still bear the scars of these cruel assignments.
And there was Pearl Harbor, engineered by a group of Japanese "warlords"
lusting for power and conquest.
And we should not forget what happened in Cambodia, when the Kymer Rouge
came into power and slew millions of innocent citizens.
And of course there was also Napoleon, a prime example of ego gone amuck.
In the last century in America, we went through the McCarthy era, when
people thought there was a communist under every bush--and many careers
were destroyed.
Recent political events in our country have also demonstrated that irrational
behavior is still among us, as small ideological groups attempt to dominate
the national agenda, not in the overall interest of the country but to serve their
own obsessive interests. They seem willing to sacrifice democracy for
rule of a fanatical few, and are apparently unable to see the disastrous results
of such illogical behavior. Their tactics are embarrassing to themselves and their party as America is made to look ridiculous in the eyes of the rest of the world.
Their antics might be laughed off as the comic behavior of the less evolved, but then
we must remember that Hitler was also considered a joke before he came to power.
reason or logic or right interest for all, but from irrational positions, keying
off private emotional or psychological needs, and self-dedication.
The world has known many of this sort in recent times:
Adolph Hitler was the most notorious example unless it was
Joseph Stalin, who slaughtered millions
Then there was the "cultural revolution" in China which consigned many
innocent city dwellers and "intellectuals" to harsh manual labor in the country-
side. Many of these folks still bear the scars of these cruel assignments.
And there was Pearl Harbor, engineered by a group of Japanese "warlords"
lusting for power and conquest.
And we should not forget what happened in Cambodia, when the Kymer Rouge
came into power and slew millions of innocent citizens.
And of course there was also Napoleon, a prime example of ego gone amuck.
In the last century in America, we went through the McCarthy era, when
people thought there was a communist under every bush--and many careers
were destroyed.
Recent political events in our country have also demonstrated that irrational
behavior is still among us, as small ideological groups attempt to dominate
the national agenda, not in the overall interest of the country but to serve their
own obsessive interests. They seem willing to sacrifice democracy for
rule of a fanatical few, and are apparently unable to see the disastrous results
of such illogical behavior. Their tactics are embarrassing to themselves and their party as America is made to look ridiculous in the eyes of the rest of the world.
Their antics might be laughed off as the comic behavior of the less evolved, but then
we must remember that Hitler was also considered a joke before he came to power.
