We’re Ruled By Deluded Narcissists (And We Don’t Have To Be)

The question that needs to be asked is, “Is it possible that a society could be run by delusional narcissists? And if we answer yes to this question, we have to ask what it would look like.

I think history gives us numerous examples of such societies existing. The French nobility before the revolution is a pretty good case of a ruling class being unaware and unconcerned of the suffering of those who allowed for their lives of wealth and ease.

In a society run by delusional narcissists, anyone who is not a deluded narcissist will never be invited into the halls of power nor given access to the channels of influence. Nor would anyone who was not a deluded narcissist wish to be part of such a society. Would anyone with concern about starving peasants wish to don a powdered wig and play vingt-et-un while sipping tea? Those who believe they combat the delusional narcissists by partaking in the system they have created will either be absorbed by the system or destroyed by it.

The next question to be asked is, “Is our society one that is run by delusional narcissists?” Donald Trump and his family are evidence that we are. You may claim Trump is an outlier and I’d agree, but only insomuch as he does not put the proper face to the image delusional narcissists wish to project. He is NOT what they want to see when they look in the mirror. Trump is a deluded narcissist who isn’t adept at hiding it. But he was quite acceptable to the delusional narcissists in charge so long as he was donating to the Clintons and attending their daughter’s wedding. Beyond Trump, it must be obvious that a society which tolerates a Jeffrey Epstein in its midst, a society which covers up the fact that he was so connected to so many key members of society’s elite, is evidence enough that we are a society run by delusional narcissists.

Another question: How would the foreign policy of a nation run by deluded sociopaths look? Would it work to promote sane governments abroad, or would it seek to install governments that mirrored its own pathologies? I have to think a nation run by deluded sociopaths would not want healthy governments in other nations setting a standard to which they themselves would be compared. Nor would they want healthy governments abroad because those healthy governments would concentrate on using their resources to help their people, and delusional sociopaths would much prefer to syphon off those resources for their own purposes.

How then, could we expect a society run by delusional narcissists to EVER help develop healthy governments abroad? We can’t. They would rather destroy a nation than have it become a successful alternative to the society the delusional narcissists have created.

The next question to be asked is: “What happens to a nation run by delusional narcissists?” Can delusional narcissists be expected to create a sustainable society? We have only to look at Louis XV’s comment to see the answer. “Apres moi, le deluge.” (After me, the ruin). Or look at Trump’s actions that led up to January 6th. He would rather ruin the country than relinquish his claim upon it. Or look at the Democrats, who would rather lose to Trump than permit Bernie Sanders to win and take from the establishment their leadership roles. Delusional narcissists are like the leaders of cults, they are willing to burn down everything they have acquired and have their followers perish rather than admit that their delusions were simply that.

We have seen, then, that a society run by delusional narcissists is capable of existing, and that it is existing in our own society now. We see that such a society will not permit healthy societies to exist abroad, even if it has to destroy them. We see that it will not permit agents of change to partake in power or influence. We further see that such a society will not only ruin other societies but will soon destroy itself just like a death cult.

This leaves us with the inescapable conclusion that we must oppose this society run by deluded narcissists, and that we must do it from the outside, not the inside. I’m not a fan of Robespierre, so I’m not talking about bringing out the guillotines. What I’m saying, quite simply, is that we need to stop accepting that delusions are real and narcissism is healthy. Once we do that — and I swear to you it is not much more complicated than that — we will find ourselves on the outside of the society built by and for delusional narcissists. That society may still take up a lot of room, but we will find ourselves staring at it as outsiders, no longer as willing participants. Once we do that, once we realize we are not part of it by choice, we will start to see the healthy ways we are able to interact with one another, free from the influence of delusional narcissists.

I want to reassure you, this is a gamechanger. Because once you are aware that you are an active participant in creating the kind of future you actually want and not some helpless puppet of powers too great for you to influence, your attitude will change. When you feel you are helpless, your will shuts down and you become a tool of the delusional narcissists. But when you finally realize, “Hey, these guys are just delusional narcissists and not only do they not want what’s best for me, they’re actually pretty stupid,” you start to get a sense of power and freedom and you start to see opportunities that you never looked for before. Hell, you might even start to feel alive, really alive. Like people did in the 50’s in the South when they finally realized “Hey, we don’t have to sit in the back of the bus anymore. We can take charge of our own lives. We don’t have to do the bidding of the delusional narcissists anymore.”

I think they were on to something.