Sympathy for Psychopaths
”Please allow us to introduce ourselves we’re the politicians of wealth and democracy,” could be the first line of a song titled Sympathy for the Psychopaths.
This parody of the first line of The Rolling Stones’ Sympathy for the Devil points to the present flock of evil-doers. The Stones painted an historical panorama from the perspective of the chief shepherd. Keith sung of ”wealth and style” where I print ”wealth and democracy”. Both are correct. Wealth is the constant, style and democracy are the variables. The constant, wealth, is the truth coupled to the lies of the day.
The myth of democracy prevails despite its cracked foundation, peeling facade, and rotten interior. The entire congress of the USA, for example, consists exclusively of people representing 1% of the nation’s wealthiest, who, despite their wealth, were financially supported (bought) to achieve their position in government, and then generously lobbied (legally bribed) to make the right decisions. The policies enacted by this prestigious forum of ”representatives of democracy” all favour a tiny percentage of the people. The richest people. Surprise! Surprise!
Corruption and decadence are attributes of great wealth. The typical configuration of imperial structures stuffs psychopaths and devils into the top. When, for example, Michelangelo and Rafael were decorating the walls and ceilings of the headquarters of the Catholic Empire, Pope Leo X would often drop by to inspect their progress on his way to ”do business” with select dignitaries. This pope was referred to in the 86th of Martin Luther’s 95 theses: ”Why does not the pope, whose wealth is today greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build this one basilica of St. Peter with his own money rather than with the money of poor believers?”
Pope Leo X had never been a priest. His father bought him the title of Cardinal when he was 13 years old. Who says corruption can’t have style?
The top clergy of Leo’s time could barely speak without Jesus rolling off their forked tongues. Replace clergy with politicians, and Jesus with democracy to witness the variable styles of lies dancing to a constant theme of greed.
We can be rather certain that any empire will meet the fate of all previous empires. And a new empire will rise. The Reformation which broke the back of the Catholic Empire has its equivalent in BRICKs challenge to the North Atlantic Empire today. And the cycle will continue until the greatest empire takes humanity with it on its decline. Unless … unless the people can establish a system of government locked into the strategy of providing for the health and welfare of all the people, along with a constant control against any deviation from, or corruption of, the goal.
Providing every individual in the world with their basic needs is not a utopian fantasy, but a prerequisite for the survival of our species. It’s life’s deal that can’t be refused.
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”Everyone doing what they can is enough to do everything that needs to be done.”
Dartwill Aquila