Leadership by psychopaths

The modern world is such that we have to work hard to survive. Society is dominated by the idea of achieving goals. But in my opinion, this is just a carrot dangled in front of a donkey. In the process of chasing goals, we often waste our health, and always our time. Which our loved ones (children, friends, etc.) do not get. This is especially true for children, because we cannot give them enough love due to our hard life. And in my opinion, this explains a lot. It doesn't make us happy, and only sometimes makes us rich. And in the end we all become unhealthy from this lifestyle. This is illustrated quite well in Gabor Matè's The Myth of Normal.

In the process of my own reflections, studying opinions on this and other forums, studying scientific studies and books, I have come to the conclusion that in this life the psychopaths who set the rules of the game are in the lead. In essence, we are involved in a casino of life where psychopaths are the owners. If we win, we are held up as an example to those who lose. If we lose, we still do the work (wasting money, health, time). But the casino always wins because we are always doing the work for the owners of this life casino.

I've been trying to find a way in which I can safely work a full 8-hour day, 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year. And I don't know how to do that without harming my health and relationships. It's physically demanding, and I don't know people who can do it without alcohol, caffeine, or other drugs. People without addictions either have health problems or just don't work that hard. And if you take a moment to think about the extent of alcohol and caffeine promotion and do your own research, you'll be very surprised at how sad it is. And this propaganda is conducted quite legitimately with the help of television, advertising and examples from life. After all, legal drugs are authorized for sale in grocery stores. Why? So that we work more, and even feel pretty good about ourselves. Try feeling good with that kind of work schedule without drinking alcohol or caffeine at all. You'd be surprised how hard it is. In my opinion, we are all just being duped. Brazenly and unceremoniously.

There aren't as many psychopaths as you might think, they are about 10% of the world's population. But it is they who have the capacity for ruthless manipulation, it is they who lack empathy and sympathy for other people's pain, it is they who set the rules of the game by which people are forced to work so hard. Why them? Because it is psychopaths who are usually in power. It is psychopaths who have the personality traits that allow them to work their way up the ladder, and ultimately dictate their will to the remaining 90% of people. To prove my point, I cite scientific studies and books that I have found. See under the spoiler.


I truly resent the fact that 10% of the people dictate the rules of the game to the other 90% of the people. I believe that our planet is rich enough, there is plenty of food, water and shelter for absolutely everyone. I realize that there are always extreme options like entering a monastery, but that's not exactly what most people would be comfortable with, is it? Likewise, suicide or escaping into a homeless life with overnight stays under a bridge or in the woods is not a good option.

I don't have alternatives, and I don't think I should be the one to suggest them. But I do have a question: should something be done about this psychopathic leadership or should nothing be done? Just accept this way of being? Are there people who aren't happy with that either?

And yes, if psychopaths win this evolutionary race, they will finally destroy our planet (ecology).


I decided to create this thread in this section of the forum because this is the place to create a poll. Not all sections allow you to make a poll. At the same time, not everyone wants to write a reply, but just voting is much easier. And that's an opinion too.

I invite all people to leave their vote. I tag some of the participants, but if I forgot someone, I apologize, not on purpose. You can tag someone additionally.

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Thank you for what you have written. I plan on responding with thoughts later after this first read through and when it is daylight hours and my brain is truly more engaged.

Yes, something should be done about it. But I have no clue as to how to do anything about it. I'm glad Trudeau is out, there is an example of a psychopath and a narcissist. Most politicians and people in high up jobs are likely psychopaths. There's no vote cast that won't end up in the hands of people with power that pull the strings. How do you think this can be fixed @Gard
just curious

Thank you for posting this topic and the poll Gard, and also for tagging me here. I agree with what you said, and share your feelings about it as well. It is very wrong, I have felt that since I was 5 years old. I looked around me at the adults (both family and strangers) and could see their misery and suffering so clearly. I knew it was not something I ever wanted for myself, I just wanted a peaceful, quiet and relaxing life where the huge majority of my time was spent doing what I wanted, not what I was pretty much “forced” to do to survive.

I found your comment about “escaping into either suicide or homelessness” to also be especially poignant for me at this time, because they are slowly but surely becoming more attractive options to me. The suicide option is probably pretty obvious for the reason - to not have to deal with any of the miserable toxicity of this kinda crummy, cold and mostly unfeeling world. But the homelessness one, ya, that’s cos it has become such a complete shitshow in terms of housing in my part of the world. It isn’t even just my area or province either, that miserable level of greed seems to have mostly spread right across our entire country.

I have thought long and hard, for MANY years, trying to think of what kind of system could be put in its place, and it would not be a simple kind of “change” for the world at all. I think a LOT of new laws would have to be put in place that forbid anyone to “take more than they needed” of anything, especially food and housing. It would be very hard to enforce though, I realize that. I think the capitalist system is very unsustainable though, and that it promotes all the misery and unhealthy lifestyles you mentioned, due to the stress that is an inevitable byproduct of such an ineffective system. I know we as a species can come up with a much smarter, more intelligent and fair/just system though. Whether we WILL find those answers to it remains to be seen. I do my best each day to keep the faith alive with that one. It is very uncertain which way it will ultimately go.

When I think about/focus on it too much, it usually ends with me actually feeling kinda glad that one day I will no longer have to put up with, or witness, any more of that despicable level of injustice. It is not right at all. Something definitely needs to be done about it. Sorry for long reply lol, guess I kinda have a lot of thoughts about all this.

hi @Gard and everyone. I don't know the answers. I'm deeply disappointed and angry. Love wins, and yet the powerful are basing their actions on hate and power and revenge. Agree as to the casino metaphor. I've tried to think of ways to fight the destructive juggernaut, but I'm not smart enough for that kind of fight.
So I decided a long time ago to do it my way, I veered way off the path society, my family and religion told me was 'right.' and yes, my family of origin says I'm a disappointing failure. My kids grew up with me going on and on about the hierarchical power structure of this world. Whenever my parents or other grown ups heard me talking to them about it, their eyebrows would go up and they'd tell me I was harming my kids. No, I wasn't, as their only parent I was preparing them for the world. I raised them alone - I wore both mama and dad hats. I knew I was fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time with them, (I used to be embarassed to say that, but not anymore), because I only worked part time. I was strict in a tough love kind of way. Yes we had to be on a strict budget but I made sure we were all very well fed, had a nice little home, its doors open to their friends. I made it known as a place safe for LGBTQ kids and people. A child who grows up murtured both physically and intellectually and who is sure of the love and accepance of their parent develops a strength which is hard-wired as they mature. The result speaks for itself: religion, society and psychopathic leaders cannot remove it from them.

Communicating with respect and compasion is a kind of pragmatic way to give detached love to other humans. Dialogue - real listening and speaking together - can be a path to healing. With complex problems in front of us on this over-crowded planet, dialogue is the only way any of this is going to even begin to get solved. I don't have much hope for that happening anymore. However, on a small scale, I know that even grown humans who are damaged and hurting can heal, if someone gives them no-strings-attached respect and love. As @Gard mentioned, this is backed up with facts in many studies, books, and the book The Myth of Normal.

I have a lot more to say but for now I'll leave it.

FYI I have moved this thread into a more suitable sub forum. Continue as you would.

I don't if they say more about my own relationship with my own inner turmoil then anything factual but I voted no.

A dumb low IQ version of my rationale would be in regards to bullying. Sure it's miserable and it's hell but it serves a purpose that might have a degree of benefit. It creates positive social cohesion by enforcing normative behavior. Act like a weirdo face the consequences till your not. I'm truly uncertain how I feel about that conclusion but it rationally makes sense to me.

Much the same as those who rule the world and run corporations. The structure makes us achieve greater things...pressure makes diamonds.

Also I'm no longer convinced that empathy is a good thing. Feels like empathy is being used as a weapon against fact and truth. Not only that when in Rome...do as the Romans do. I would much rather be at the top of the mountain of life then be "loving" seems safer and more honest that way

Whether it's psychopaths, sociopaths, or otherwise selfish or malicious people, yes it's bad that people with bad motives have any influence on society. Should we do something about this? Well, yes, but there are problems.

Communism was supposed to be the remedy for ills of society, because all of the ills of society were imagined to come from capitalists and the capitalist system. It seems to me like it just put corrupt people and genocidal tyrants in power like Stalin and Mao. Communists may have also played a prominent role in the polarization of German society that allowed Hitler to come to power. Efforts to change society won't always work, but even if they do, the results you get are pretty much guaranteed to create some new problems even if they solve some of the old ones. The best you can hope for is that on balance things will be better off.

Most of us have been immersed in a literature and story telling to present the world as a struggle between good guys and bad guys, and that when the good guys win, all problems are solved. In reality the ones in struggle are very often various shades of grey, and the same with the results of the struggle.

It's interesting that Tibetan Buddhism appeals to you, since one of the central themes of it is non-dualism. Buddhism is more about conquering internal enemies than external ones. The view is that it is easier to put on shoes than to try to cover the world in shoe leather. When an event occurs that we think is bad, there may be some hidden good in it (such as clearing away karma). Establishing inner peace is often seen as being the most important thing. You can't always change the external world, but there's always a chance to change one's internal world.

This doesn't mean that you can't take actions or try to make changes, but that overcoming the internal enemies of hatred and anger are more important. If one does not cultivate inner peace, an infinite and eternal procession of external enemies will always appear.

Yes, I can't disagree that pressure forms diamonds @Shinzon1. There are issues @Gard is pointing out in his post that aren't conducive to survival of almmost any the species on earth. The survival of the fittest is applicable and undeniable. But it's more obvious all the time that the nature of human beings and aspects of the societies we've formed are creating a crucible for destruction rather than diamonds.

Im not sure we don't deserve it. I know that maybe my emotions talking but so much of this type of thinking seems alien to me.

So are you saying you're unsure we deserve continued survival? I can relate.
Also, let me apologize for my iintense response, this topic does that to me and I should take it more carefully.

Your good and accurate. Politics is a sucky subject. I'm wondering how much of sort of my arch conservative assholery is down to a response to my mental health being dogshit most of my life so some of my thoughts process is me attempting to unpack my brain a bit.

Okay, good to know @Shinzon1, SF is just about the safest place I know of, as far as the internet goes to discuss things like mental health. If you feel like talking aobut it, I'm not wise but am listening.

I really don't know what can be done about this. In my opinion, there are people who should be proposing these options—the politicians we elected. That's their job. Society should express its dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs, and politicians should propose options.
Otherwise, they are not doing their job.
But they prefer to raise the retirement age A bit of irony

Yes, it bothers me. I used to think it was just my imagination, but no, it's not. It's reality.

At some point, I also came to the conclusion that empathy does not contribute to survival in the modern world. For me, this means that I have to become a monster, a psychopath, in order to survive. But I cannot and do not want to. But that doesn't stop others.

Buddhism has many positive aspects. But psychopaths are unlikely to want to look for problems within themselves. Although it would be good to ask psychopaths to start looking for problems within themselves rather than in other people

@Gard
It's understandable that you'd be angry about the political order of the world, but I don't think being angry about it is going to do you any good. If you want to strive for change, you can try to do that, but bringing anger along with that is only going to bring you down.

It's also good to remember that even if you succeed in bringing change, there will almost certainly be a new set of problems.

Sitting back and doing nothing is not what I would call an option. Subjugation of a country's citizens is what these pyscopathic dictators want. Ok I can understand how some veer off to accepting this way of being due to a myriad of reasons. However, once these pyschopaths have got their foot pressed firmly down on their subject's throat they won't ease up, they'll just continue to press further. So yes, action does need to be taken against psychopathic leadership. And those thinking "oh I'm in another country so I'm ok....." that's bollocks as these templates for rule can be picked up, copy and pasted until it's right on your doorstep.

Disclosure: Thinking aloud about Buddhism. I am not a teacher or even convinced I have fully come to understand what I have already learned. I do not speak for any school of Buddhism regarding any issue, including this one.

This is a paradox that many Buddhists struggle with, including yours truly. What do we do to help society vs focusing on controlling our reaction to whatever happens? - this is by no means a solved issue, and well intended teachers have come to either conclusion. That's okay. Nobody has the final authority, and the issue can be refined by trying things out.

In my opinion, capitalism is pretty sustainable, but it does create a tremendous amount of stress. I consider it sustainable because it has been around for thousands of years. It started when powerful people acquired slaves. And although slavery technically ended in the 19th century, it didn't really end. Many people, very many people, continue to work for money that is just enough for food and shelter. And a little entertainment. But this money is not enough for a sense of freedom. And in most cases, people have to regain their health for that kind of work schedule, because it's a very dangerous schedule. And people don't usually choose it - but if they could choose it, would they choose it?

So I've come to the conclusion that slavery didn't end, it just changed its form.

Maybe that's why slogans about financial freedom are so popular. And it works quite effectively.

And you had enough time to spend with your kids. Isn't that wonderful? Didn't you feel good during that time? My parents didn't have that opportunity. They worked very hard to pay the bills. And when they weren't working, they were drinking alcohol to deal with the stress of work. That was one of the reasons for my problems today. And it's one of the reasons why I'm even talking about this.
A lot of people have the same problems, but they've either accepted the rules of the game and started sacrificing their health and time, or they're no longer living. But either way, it always affects the children in one way or another.

Diamonds can't buy health and time. Why would a sick old man need diamonds in such a case?

I was born in the USSR, but I went to school in free Ukraine. I did not catch communism, but I heard a lot about it. There was something good in it, but you are right that it brought tyrants to power.

Communism was a radical response to the power of capitalists. And the capitalists had to reckon with it to keep it from spreading around the world. At some point there was some sort of balance between capitalists and slaves. And around the same time (and later), the movie industry, one of capitalism's most horrible and effective tools, was greatly developed.

I'm not suggesting anything at this point, not communism or anything else. I'm just thinking about the subject. And I realize that any change will improve something, make something worse.

I heard somewhere that anger is a feeling that is born when our personal boundaries are violated. I think a lot of people feel anger about the capitalist system. But after 2-3 beers they are not so angry anymore Beer (and other alcohol) is what makes people submissive and satisfied at least for a moment. And a huge amount of alcohol propaganda comes through movies. The bad thing about alcohol is that it actually makes you feel good, and very few people can give it up for good.

It's a pretty powerful weapon in the hands of psychopaths. And it's a weapon that solves a lot of slave problems. That's the tricky part of the weapon.

Yes, it is. I've experienced it firsthand. And they're not gonna stop on their own. They can only be stopped from the outside.


You're right. And that is the problem. Even if psychopaths are defeated in one country, they will flourish in another country, which will improve the economic condition of the country (one of the slogans of psychopaths), but worsen the health of slaves (psychopaths don't care about that, because many doctors need jobs).

In my opinion, Buddhism is a form of escapism. It doesn't suit most people, although many people embrace it. But even with Buddhist ideology, changes can be made. For example, if I remember correctly, India staged a revolution against the British Empire in the 20th century. It was a non-violent revolution. I learned a lot about it from the movie about Mahatma Gandhi, and I've also read a bit about it.

Harsh but I agree. This scenario whether literal &/or metaphorical, blindsides a lot of men when they reach a certain age. The consequences can be very sad.

Yes, it was a lot of work, simaltaneously a time of good feeling.