Gazette Blog Columnist
July 5, 2024
The timeless story of God’s covenant with Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Issac, and Ishmael and their patriarchal family relationships transcends mere faith. It is a poignant human narrative that began 2,000 years before the birth of Christ and continues to unfold in the Middle East today. Tribalism, a fundamental aspect of human consciousness, is at the heart of this enduring tale.
It is so big; We can’t see it.
Imagine the potential for stimulation in a Hollywood production of Revelations. The book is a rich tapestry of controversies, possible interpretations, and opportunities for special artificial intelligence effects. Is it a prophetic vision of the future, as some believe, or a reflection of the tumultuous events in the Roman Empire?
In 1960, we thought we could fix the world. Reinhold Niebuhr’s dystopian collective could not last, not when we had globalism, the Internet, and smartphones. Surely, the world would discover how to understand and win by helping each other, not to the other’s detriment. But we could not understand or fix our broken selves. Then in 1970, Alvin Toffler wrote his book about Future Shock, and now we are electrocuted.
Religions are right about science's shortcomings, but they are also the shortcomings of consciousness, our Blind Spot.
It's a sobering truth that many of the things we consider reasonable are mutually exclusive. Yet, in the face of this complexity, we are called to make decisions. Not perfect decisions, but responsible ones.
Now, we have an upcoming presidential choice about character and cognition. The discussion never turns to sociopathy, as it should.
The brains of sociopaths are structurally damaged and irreparable. They lie and cheat on their wives. They sadistically punish and humiliate others. They steal your idea while taking credit for it. They live within an internal delusion. They don’t just think that they are the greatest. They know it. It is in their heart, not just their rhetoric. They cannot change.
Self-interest, a lack of empathy, and a compulsion toward ruthless vengeance claimed to be "fighting back" are not the attributes of good leadership. It concerns more than official duties.
The key symptoms of sociopathy are:
1. Early Behavior Problems (military reform school)
2. Poor behavior controls (vindictive, angry, callous, nasty, cruel, fights back)
3. Impulsive (erratic, inconsistent, bets on both sides of the coin toss, unreliable)
4. Need for excitement (craving attention, a fake reality show, an imprudent risk-taker)
5. Lack of responsibility (me first, me only, blaming others, never at fault, never responsible)
6. Antisocial behavior (hyper-individualistic con artist)
7. Egocentric and grandiose (malignant narcissist, self-aggrandizing, lacking humility)
8. Glib and superficial (a too-easy solution, childlike, thin, ignoring nuance, uninformed)
9. Lack of empathy (does not understand, learn, or feel a need to)
10. Shallow emotions (feigned love, false pride, cannot feel your pain, materialistic)
11. Lack of introspection, remorse, or guilt (The self is everything.)
12. Deceitful and manipulative (Toxic liar, using others, only winning matters.)
These are proxies. They are not directly measurable, but they are real. We must investigate from the top down and take a larger view. Chance is God’s mysterious way. Choice is our duty.
Choice is our duty.
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