By Kebour Gnenna
It is not often that we get to use the words “psychopath” or “narcissist”. But this seems to be an occasion for it. If you’re not clear about the words: Google them.
In general psychopathy and narcissism are said to be characteristics of people in position of power. In recent times, psychopathic leaders have been mostly found in less economically developed countries with poor infrastructures and insecure political and social institutions. Psychopaths possess a profound lack of empathy. They use other people callously and remorselessly for their own ends. By advancing their own interests, with little regard for the agony they might inflict on others, they jeopardize the welfare of their citizens.
In short, psychopathy is bad governance.
Those with narcissistic personalities tend to crave attention and affirmation and feel it is right that other people should be subservient to them and that they have the right to dominate them. Their lack of compassion means they have no qualms about exploiting other people to attain or maintain their power, they prefer mindless, non-thinking, adoring and easily manipulated zombies so they can retain their power, control, and strip their country’s from its limited wealth. For them, we the people, only exist for the benefit of the state.
Meanwhile, the kind of people who we might think are ideally suited to take on positions of power – people who are empathetic, fair minded, responsible and wise – are naturally disinclined to seek it. Empathetic people are able to understand the needs of others. It means they’re aware of their feelings and their thinking. They like to remain grounded and interact with others, rather than elevating themselves. They don’t desire control or authority, but connection, leaving those leadership roles vacant for those with more narcissistic and psychopathic character traits. Leaders with empathy have very often been the bedrock of outcomes that changed the course of nations and organizations. Unfortunately empathetic and fair-minded people gradually fall away. They are either ostracized or step aside voluntarily, appalled by the growing pathology around them.
Yet it would be misleading to say it is only psychopaths and narcissists who gain power. Instead, many suggest there are generally three types of leaders.
The first are accidental leaders who gain power without a large degree of conscious intention on their part, but due to privilege or merit (or a combination). Second are the idealistic and altruistic leaders, probably the rarest type. They feel impelled to gain power to improve the lives of other people – or to promote justice and equality, and try to become instruments of change. But the third are the narcissistic and psychopathic leaders, whose motivation for gaining power is purely self-serving.
This doesn’t just apply to politics, of course. It’s an issue in every organization with a hierarchical structure. In any institution or company, there is a good chance that those who gain power are highly ambitious and ruthless, and lacking in empathy.
Narcissistic and psychopaths leaders may seem appealing because they are often charismatic (they cultivate charisma in order to attract attention and admiration). As leaders they can be confident and decisive and their lack of empathy can promote a single-mindedness which can, in some cases, lead to achievement. Ultimately though, any positive aspects are far outweighed by the chaos and suffering they create.
Psychopathy is destructive, no matter whether it roams the back streets of Washington DC or roams on Arat Kilo.
Editor’s note : the article was first published on the personal facebook page of Kebour Ghenna
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Subject: “Deranged psychopaths on the loose” by (Kebour Ghenna), August 6, 2022
Quote: “Psychopathy is destructive, no matter whether it roams the back streets of Washington DC or roams on Arat Kilo” Unquote
Humble Question, 11 Aug 2022
Where do we go from here? i.e. after fragmentation of the ancient independent country in the world, into pieces — ETHIOPIA.
Will Ethiopians — wherever they may be — be delighted, extatic, happy, joyful beyond limit ?
INDEED, CLASSICAL TRAGEDY ALIVE.
Rezen,
You ask a good question. What do you have faith in? Maybe you have faith through religion, your family, your good friends. Because you have faith, you have hope. No doubt. Hope for a better world. This is why in the face of adversity we must refer to our faith, values, and hopes. Then we do the acts that never fail to improve life overall: kindness and empathy to our neighbors. Strengthen the ties day by day, make for a resilient village that continues to survives trough the chaos with its dignity intact. Thereby, Ethiopia lives, and thrives.
By the way, refer to Obang Metho’s essays to replenish your energy reserves.
Thank You, Dan for the kind words
Let me tell you a scratch of my self;
a) I have faith upon myself
b) religion is just my faith upon myself
c) Yes, I have hope
d) I replenish my energy by my will power
e). I never pretend beyond myself
f) “F” is a letter for failure. I accept my failure from time to time. Because I am human being with all the weakness and strength endowed to me by nature. I DO NOT PRETEND TO KNOW NATURE.
Differentiating good and evil is enough for me to lead a peaceful and tranquil LIFE.
———————————-
Post Script:
I WISH MY UTMOST BEST FOR THAT ADMIRABLE and BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY, NAMED ETHIOPIA. Destroying such a country is tantamount to the reflection of MADNESS out of the so-called modern educated individuals with a paper size of 8 by 10 inch as a testimony for WISDOM !!!!!!! WOW! WOW! WOW!
The truth is that the eighty square inch paper in size is nothing more than ……….. I better not finish the sentence. After all, we know the so-called “modern education” system, implemented in Ethiopia and, in general, in OUR DEAR BLACK AFRICAN CONTINENT had — and still have — specific motives by colonial powers who had their agenda at the expense of the HONEST, BELIEVING, DECENT, BLACK AFRICAN PEOPLE.
AFRICA WAS a VICTIM for seemingly time immemorial and, shocking as it is, it is still under such cruelty for the benefit of others. Volumes can be written on the international cruelty that BLACK AFRICA had to endure for time immemoial. But then, what would be the gain?!?!? NOTHING FOR BLACK AFRICAN HUMAN BEINGS. THE END
There were so many who felt entitled to be Kings of Ethiopia so KIBRE-NEGEST in the 13th century said only those who had direct-lineage to Queen Makda and King Solomon of Jerusalem were allowed to reign. Many Ethiopians and Eritreans still name their new-born children after that queen. There could only be one ruler at a time and the rest of the ruler’s family spent their entire lives locked up in AMBAs, practical a prison on a flat ground at a top of a mountain. The focus at that time was to become a ruler and the strongest did. Soldier’s life was much better than farmer’s life and there were plenty following different want-to-be kings all over ancient Ethiopia. The great poet, Blaten Yoftahe Nigussie had a very vivid verse regarding how life looked like in those days, not very good for the farmer at all.
In 1936 at the battle of Maychew, everybody was told to dig in trenches. The traditional soldiers were not used to digging fox holes even when it was a life-saving effort. I don’t know how the dead were buried or may be there were some who didn’t shoot and brought over for doing just that, but if there were any they didn’t want to do it for the none-dead. On the other hand there were units who were farmers by profession only there because ‘the motherland’ needed them to defeat the fascist enemy. They were from the south and mostly Gurage that don’t have full time soldiers in their traditions but fought when needed for generations. They didn’t see any NEWIR/SHAME in digging trenches if that was what the GENET Academy cadets and officers wanted them to do. So they dug in while the rest of Ethiopian soldiers laughed at them. Unfortunately most of those were killed by BANDA nearby after the loss at the war and on their way home to their farms and families.
HIM Haile Selassie I and the flag were back at Omedla in October 1940 at first and then Addis in May 1941. The decision to send the emperor out of the country five years earlier has paid off. As a result Ethiopia saw a very peaceful era for over three decades. Some still wanted that power and there were a few attempts that were squashed quickly but in 1960 Gen Mengistu Neway of the palace guard and his civilian brother nearly succeeded before they were defeated. Egypt sent a plane load of special forces to aid Mengistu Neway but were intercepted by General Taddesse Biru, a colonel at that time, at the old airport. and brought to the Korean war veteran Gen Kebede Gebre of the army at his head quarter. The leader of Egyptian officers had asked to meet either Mengistu or the colonel who was chief of intelligence at that time and the quick thinker Tadesse Biru told him he was that colonel and was taking him to Mengistu Neway.
The involvement of Egypt in that failed coup was totally forgotten and Mengist Neway was ‘remembered’ as a hero by leftist and communist want-to-be-kings in the latter years. Just a few weeks ago I watched an interview of a former EPRP top leader narrating his observation at the high court on Mengistu Neway’s trial being his inspiration with dismay. On the other hand one of the judges at that trial, a Dejazmach with PhD was never sorry for passing a death sentence on the general as recently as about a decade ago. “in any country that has a legal death sentence, he would have sentenced to death” he said on one of his interviews. Gen Mengistu’s deputy was in Congo at that time keeping the peace after he had led one round of QAGNEW SHALEQA in Korea, he was one of the emperor’s ardent loyalists and ethnic Gurage and a devout Catholic. As a minority in a minority he probably was very grateful to have been given the opportunity to join the elite palace guard officers’ academy when he was a young man. That general was president of the Saint George football team and ambassador in French speaking countries after he retired.
The renowned resistance hero Hale Mariam Mamo’s young son was instructor at Harar officer’s academy in 1960 and he came all the way from Harar to Addis to stop the coup and was killed in the fight. At least he died while fighting but Mengistu Neway executed many national heroes including Ras Abebe Aregay in the palace, knowing that his coup has already failed and they were his prisoners at that time, unarmed. Aklilu H/Wold’s older brother was also executed by Mengistu Neway that day. 14 years later another Mengistu will kill PM Aklilu and his younger brother, 60 in total, getting the clue from that.
Egypt must have been the happiest. Ethiopia was on a suicidal mission losing one layer at a time. Instead of reforming and building on what is already there, EPRP and the likes were so eager to come to power they unleashed a ‘city war’ knowing well that has ended in disaster in Brazil just a few years earlier. They can say whatever today but during the war with Siad Bare, their eagerness blinded them to the extreme and only saw a power grab in 4 kilo. Forget the Islamic Oromia movement which was recruiting slave labor for Arab owned banana plantations in Somalia at that time, b/c their aim was destroying Ethiopia. EPRP and Meison sabotaging the war effort of Ethiopia and propagating against the good hearted Cubans that came to the rescue and took in thousands of war orphans and raised them as their own, history should never forget.
There is some similarity today though. TPLF wants to take away WelQayt and Raya and then the area where the GERD is at and then at least Massawa in the long run and create it’s own country. TPLF and it’s supporters are salivating on this idea right now. The Tigrayans are under it’s spell and there is very little they can do against TPLF. TPLF is very patient and it will exploit situations and the money it stole is working. Susan Rice is helping TPLF with all her power. If a black lady says so, why not? says her crew. Susan Rice might be very educated but she is totally wrong in her reading of Ethiopian and African history in general. That is if she is not in it for the money b/c her worth has risen in a very suspect way in certain years since she became Meles Zenawi’s admiration advocate of European colonialism in Africa. “Liberal’s” won’t openly admit it but they like that and they like it even more when it comes from Black American Ladies in power.
Ms Baker was a very good dancer and she won war medals from the French for her effort against the Nazis in the 1940s. The Black American Lady Ms Baker openly said Mussolini should be encouraged to colonize Ethiopia. Only she used ‘civilize’ instead of colonize. What do Susan Rice and today’s Ms Baker’s have in common with terrorist TPLF? They worship something other than God just like Meles Zenawi did try to complete Mussolini’s program in Ethiopia. It took TPLF about a few days before it announced it was going to give the Italian fallen fascists a proper burial, though it did it through a ‘local’ administrator in Tigray back in 1991. Boutros Boutros Galli was giving Meles Zenawi a head massage in front of the cameras of the world as if he was his lap dog. May be he was. And if it is indeed Egypt that killed Meles Zenawi for starting the GERD dam as some believe….speaking of the GERD…congrats on the 2nd turbine and 750 mega watt and counting and the 3rd filling is proper. Abiy needs some good advisors and he’ll be fine as long as he can rely on them. Most of those are now in their 70s and don’t want to take his place at all even though 70 is the new 50. Besides Abiy is the first elected leader of Ethiopia, he is not the first Oromo for even col Mengistu was Oromo and many others before him. Well they probably didn’t say they were Oromo b/c nobody asked that question.
When Ethiopia was being ruled by the Yejju in the 18th century, a young one asked the older one: Why don’t we declare ourselves Emperors? And the older one said: MANSETTEN BILEN? to which the younger one responded ALLAH SETTEN BELEN. From Ras Ali Sr to Ras Ali Jr the Yejju ruled Ethiopia for almost a whole century.
Humble Opinion, 13 Aug 2022
What Ethiopia is facing is its own internal renegades who know nothing about governing of a Nation. One [lowly trained smart-alec] simply disappeared leaving the country into pieces [still alive, tranquil and smiling in safe sanctuary]. Anyway, in any case, the present of such individuals are exactly the same, without abandoning the country. In general ETHIOPIAN leaders of the current century are exactly replica of foreign colonialists of the past. present and — no doubt — future & self-tuned hungry individuals who care for themselves and NOTHING else. I am repeating myself. I STOP here, with apology.