Narcissitic Personality Disorder and What it Means to our Future

As Friday January 20th approaches when our new President will be sworn in, I have been wondering what type of leader he will be.  The more I see his ridiculous tweets and his inability to rise above name calling and pettiness, the more concerned I get.  Oscar Wilde once said, "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about."  The problem is when the individual cannot ignore negative press and feels the need to lash out to every slight or perceived slight.  Then a good friend of mine Stephanie from TCU posted something on her Facebook page that brought clarity to what and who our President elect is and provides a scary picture of what we are going to have to deal with over the next 4 years.

Here is what she wrote:

"This is going to be a lengthy post so bear with me. While I do gleefully "like" and reply on many of your anti-upcoming political administration posts, I don't post much original political commentary. However, as one who was in a relationship for many years with someone suffering from narcissism - as in diagnosed Narcissistic Personality Disorder - I have firsthand experience with the consequences of narcissism. I have real concerns about Donald Trump and what the fallout will be for all of us with him in the White House. He was interviewed today by the New York Times and said that all the DC dress stores had run out of ball gowns - presumably the listener is to infer that the Trump inauguration is going to be so well attended that even suitable clothing will be hard to come by. Of course fact-checkers sprung into action and there is no shortage of formal wear in DC so we can all sleep more soundly tonight. But this is the take-away: what the narcissist WANTS to be true IS absolutely, positively, indisputably true in their mind. Trump says he did not mock that disabled reporter. He's not refuting it or putting a spin on it or hoping to deflect criticism, it is his truth and no amount of arguing or replaying the video is going to change that. You can be standing outside in the middle of a thunderstorm and if the narcissist doesn't want it to be raining, guess what? IT'S NOT RAINING. The DSM-5 uses the following to diagnose narcissistic personality disorder:

• Having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
• Expecting to be recognized as superior even without achievements that warrant it
• Exaggerating your achievements and talents
• Being preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate
• Believing that you are superior and can only be understood by or associate with equally special           people
• Requiring constant admiration
• Having a sense of entitlement
• Expecting special favors and unquestioning compliance with your expectations
• Taking advantage of others to get what you want
• Having an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others
• Being envious of others and believing others envy you
• Behaving in an arrogant or haughty manner

Although some features of narcissistic personality disorder may seem like having confidence, it's not the same. Narcissistic personality disorder crosses the border of healthy confidence into thinking so highly of yourself that you put yourself on a pedestal and value yourself more than you value others.

If you're still reading this, understand that it's a disorder, our president-elect is suffering from it and I believe it's going to result in some very serious outcomes for us as a people, a country, a world power, an economy, a justice system, and our individual and collective futures. This post isn't about the new administration's political views or its position on any particular issue. It's about what drives Trump and what's behind his decision-making processes. Every single one of us must be vigilant and do what we can to mitigate the harm that is already occurring and will continue to occur with the new administration."

While I would never say that our country is perfect.  There are many examples of where we have missed the mark.  But I still believe in this country and its people.  I know that most of us want to enjoy the freedoms that our forefathers envisioned when they created this nation.  If my friend is right about the President-elect he will never be able to admit the truth no matter how much it is pointed out to him.  With that in mind, we each need to uphold the ideals on which our country was founded and to always champion what it right and to fight for justice.

Our country has had bad leaders in the past.  Our nation has suffered through both good times and bad.  Regardless, we have always survived and made the appropriate course corrections to remain a positive force in the world.  I have no idea what the future holds for us as individuals or the collective whole.  I do know that it is ultimately going to be up to each and every one of us to be leaders who fight for those less fortunate and to lead the way for all that is right.  As my fellow Jews say, it is ultimately up to us create a nation that will be seen as a "Light Unto the Nations".

There is another country that has the same vision of being a "Light Unto the Nations" - Israel.   Despite the fact that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his address at the 2010 Herzliya Conference was speaking of Israel, his words could easily be describing what we here in the United States should be striving toward just replace the words "Jewish state" with "United States" and "Jewish" with "American".  He said:

"You are dealing with our people's fate because it is clear today that the fate of the Jewish people is the fate of the Jewish state. There is no demographic or practical existence for the Jewish people without a Jewish state. This doesn't mean that the Jewish state does not face tremendous challenges, but our existence, our future, is here. The greatest change that came with the establishment of the Jewish state was that Jews became more than just a collection of individuals, communities and fragments of communities. They became a sovereign collective in their own territory. Our ability as a collective to determine our own destiny is what grants us the tools to shape our future—no longer as a ruled people, defeated and persecuted, but as a proud people with a magnificent country and one which always aspires to serve as 'Light Unto the Nations'."

I hope and pray that our President-elect will come to his senses and fight against his narcissistic tendencies and be a leader to all.  That way we can all be proud of our country and truly become a "Light Unto the Nations".

Jan. 2 – 6.10 miles (1:03:08, 10:21 pace) - Hill Repeats
Jan. 3 – 5.30 miles (47:08, 8:54 pace) - Speed Work
Jan. 5 – 7.30 miles (1:05:40, 9:00 pace) - Tempo Run
Jan. 6 – 6.20 miles (55:01, 8:52 pace)
Jan. 7 – 9.30 miles (1:25:12, 9:10 pace)
Jan. 8 – 9.10 miles (1:20:24, 8:50 pace)
Jan. 9 – 6.10 miles (55:06, 9:02 pace)
Jan. 10 – 5.20 miles (45:57, 8:50 pace) - Speed Work
Jan. 12 – 7.30 miles (1:05:58, 9:02 pace) - Tempo Run
Jan. 13 – 6.20 miles (56:56, 9:11 pace)
Jan. 14 – 9.60 miles (1:27:40, 9:08 pace)
Jan. 15 – 10.10 miles (1:32:34, 9:10 pace)

Total Miles:  87.8 miles
2017 Total Miles:  95.9 miles