The Challenges Of A Self-Righteous Leader

No one is as fanatical as the self-righteous. America has its fair share of self-righteousness. One high-profile new political leader is a stern idealist. He believes in an idealized good while simultaneously believing man is fatally flawed. In his mind, man is filled with evil, and man is naturally prone to bad rather than good intentions. He believes in the absolute necessity of power, and he believes that individuals are powerless. Individuals can’t alter the march of evil, and the corruption he sees in the country, and in all other countries. No matter how much power he achieves, other groups and other countries have more power. But their power is evil. Even though he believes in the existence of an idealized good, he feels the wicked are more powerful. The good are weak, and they lack the energy to overcome his concept of evil.

This leader sees himself as just. Those that don’t agree with him are his moral enemies. He believes he is surrounded by the corrupt, and he will use any means at his disposal to bring down anyone that threatens the presidency or the state. He will use an idealistic tone to make people believe in him. But our impulses don’t lie. This leader is a fanatic that wants to rule instead of lead.

When does an idealist turn into a fanatic? If someone tells us, we must follow this decision or that one blindly, and in complete obedience, there is room for concern. And, if that decision is the only right way toward an idealistic good, then we are dealing with a fanatic. If he tells us to kill for the sake of peace, he does not understand peace or justice. And if he tells us to give up our free will, and follow his decision, he is a hopeless fanatic.

Through our mundane choices, we affect the events in our world. The mass world is the result of multitudinous individual choices. Our choices are rooted in impulses, and impulses are energy geared toward action. Some impulses are conscious, some are not. Even our private impulses are based on the greater good of the species and the planet. The fulfillment of the individual will automatically lead to the betterment of the species. Our impulses will override the power of this fanatic, just like they have through the centuries.

Fanatics create diversity to feed their self-righteous ego. At some point, the diversity becomes a type of unity. Through our inner desire to experience the challenges of a delusional leader, we become what our impulses tell us we are.