Egotism - and public office

Ego (leading to running for office)

Today really more than just voting - but what motivates a person to run for a political office?

We all have some ego in ourselves.  Ego is defined as: “a person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance.”

We need to have some ego - we need to think we have some importance to the world, to those around us, that we are important - to ourselves and to others.

Even the best have to have some ego.  Mother Teresa in serving the “poorest of the poor” had to feel that her work was benefiting mankind and that her work had value.  Yes, seemingly even she wondered if she was of value but “kept on keeping on”.  

As you might know, after my retirement I felt I had no value.  I think many seniors fall into that trap - “I have no value, I am taking up space on this world, I am breathing air that could be used by a child, I am eating food that could be given to the hungry, I am sleeping in a bed that could be used by a homeless person.  I have no reason to keep living.” Some in our culture have taken this step farther - therefore, if you have no value in the world, you should kill yourself - with assisted suicide or legalized death. 

Others have said, “life until natural death” is the proper way to live.  Even if you think you have no value, you do have value - at least to God.  If you take the Judeo-Christian viewpoint that I am “made in the image of God” from Genesis 1:27’ or Psalm 139:14 “ I am fearfully and wonderfully made”, the logical conclusion is that to kill myself (or really to kill any person) is destroy the person made in God’s image.  

Can we allow that ego - self-importance - to overtake us?  

This article (https://www.inc.com/wanda-thibodeaux/science-finally-explained-what-all-toxic-people-have-in-common-heres-what-it-means-for-your-team.html) talks about toxic people frequently have traits where ego (and other factors).  The article (which I am not going to fully explore today) calls these factors the “D factor” (for DARK factor) with elements of “on nine common negative traits (egoism, Machiavellianism, moral disengagement, narcissism, psychological entitlement, psychopathy, sadism, self-interest, and spitefulness).

So, putting some reasoning into this discussion, we all need some ego, we all need to feel that we have value in our lives (and we will live the discussion of until natural death or until we have little value to the world out of the discussion today).  

The article suggests that some of these dark factors can be good for leadership.  To be a good leader, the person should have some ego - believing in themselves; but loving one’s self to an extreme (like narcissism, entitlement, sadism, and self-interest) can be negative.

In talking with a friend at the early voting the other day, we both wondered why people run for public office?  If somebody is such a natural leader shouldn’t he or she work in a corporate (or academic) setting leading the company (or school) in profit and goodwill?  

But, does a person have to have sufficient ego to believe in themself - to lead and guide a country?  

And, when you are considering politicians - especially those running for the highest office in our country - are they statesmen - seeking to pilot the ‘ship of state’ through the rocks and reefs - or egotistical politicians - seeking to make themselves look good? (And writing themselves into the history books).

Who knows?  Maybe there is a fine line 

See you tomorrow!!

Karen