Dear Friends,
In the end, it always comes down to force… when dealing with psychopaths in power. Time and time again we see a psychopath elected to office, promising utopia, and delivering Hell on Earth. Once in power they declare themselves, President for life, and “justly” execute anyone who besmirches their name. Erdogan in Turkey is the exemplar of such a man. Democratically elected they wield violence like an epee to hold and maintain “their” power. Promising the utopia, that can only come from stealing the wealth others have accumulated, eventually that wealth is plundered, and those who have become dependent on that larceny… starve. This is the stage in socialist evolution that we find Venezuela in today. The violence is the inevitable result of dealing with psychopaths in power.
The way Cyrus the great was discovered, as being the grandson of the king, illustrates the distinction between aristocracy and the common man. When he was born his grandfather had a disturbing dream. He dreamt a vine grew from his pregnant daughter to cover the world. The Magi told him this meant his grandson would rule the world. Fearing his own blood, the king ordered Cyrus put to death. The King’s confidant however, didn’t have the heart to murder a baby, so he let a sheep herder adopt him instead. Years later, Cyrus was playing “king,” when he ordered an aristocrat’s son seized and beaten. That boy’s father went to the King to have the sheep herder’s son killed. This led directly to Cyrus being discovered to be alive… and to go on to conquer the “world.”
What makes the story of Cyrus illustrative, is that psychopathy, is the single trait that has always run through any aristocracy. It has always been the nature of those who would lead. They inflict violence to force other to do that which they themselves would never submit to. Power over others is the ultimate thrill for a psychopath. History cannot be denied. Look at what history calls, “great men.” Psychopaths every one! What was Alexander but a psychopath determined to conquer the world? Cut from the same cloth as Cyrus, Caesar, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Imperial China’s Xi. Because many psychopaths will resign themselves to a portion of tyrannical power, in a bureaucracy… since it also gives them anonymity. They can manipulate people into self harm from behind a curtain.
A psychopath is the ultimate politician or bureaucrat. Every characteristic attributed to psychopaths defines a great politician. Charismatic, able to manipulate people, glib, huge ego, delusions of grandeur, indefatigable in the pursuit of power and utterly ruthless, they define politics. Is it a wonder many if not most politicians are psychopaths? They say psychopaths only make up one percent of the population, so in a population of three hundred million, there would be three million psychopaths. By any measure that is a deep pool from which to draw when it comes to politicians and bureaucrats. To be pragmatic we have to accede that our governments are filled with psychopaths. Especially those governments that have accepted the utopian idea of socialism.
Psychopaths worship the idea of Thrasymachus, that justice is a game played on the hoi polloi, to keep us quiet, but not anything they would submit themselves to. In Plato’s Republic Thrasymachus stood in opposition to Socrates. Socrates was trying to get the young people to come to the conclusion themselves, that Justice is a primary good. While Thrasymachus argued that Justice is a tool the strong use against the weak. Psychopaths obviously believe as did Thrasymachus. The ballot box gives the appearance of legitimacy, as laws only give the appearance of justice. That is why when a psychopath gets fully in power, and becomes president for life, no matter the suffering of the people, it is only through violence that they can be removed. As history constantly reminds us.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
