Bullies Tend To Be Fools
Bully’s Sense of Right
One of the chief characteristics of a bully is his sincere conviction that his Maker endowed him with an innate sense of rightness. He doesn’t have to be taught to select the right solution, he was born with the knowledge of what is right. When hiking or biking through the forest he doesn’t have to check the map or a compass to choose the correct fork to take. Often such a gift is accompanied by a determination to pursue the chosen course regardless of the consequences.
Being assured of the correctness of his course, there is no reason to consider alternatives or be concerned with advice from other people, even though those people might be true experts, experienced in the particular field. The bully pushes forward on his chosen path, ignoring the possibility that he might be wrong. His air of self confidence may convince many fellow travelers that he is surely right. Those who persist in showing him the adverse trail signs are scoffed at or may be kicked out of the group.
The Bully in this tale is our president, George W. Bush. True to form, he has led us into a war that is tearing our nation apart. He has told us of a Call he received to help bring the Maker’s gift of freedom to all of the peoples of the world. The Call came upon him several years ago, accompanied by a divine guidebook implanted securely in his person. Even though advice, events and history yell in his ears that he has been on the wrong trail from the git-go, he is determined to stay the course. He says: “It is the right thing to do.”
The Commander-in-chief proudly calls himself a “War President” as if he were playing the role of a General on a black stallion, sword drawn, charging ahead into the valley of death. He closes his eyes to the fallen as they lie dying and refuses to hear the moans of the loved ones. He knows he is right. Nothing else matters.
The nation which usually supports their leader in war is witnessing growing dissent, with national polls indicating that a large, and growing, segment of the population believes that we went into Iraq on false pretenses. A few members of the President’s own political party are raising questions about the justification of the war and are questioning the wisdom of getting bogged down in a quagmire like we did in Viet Nam.
Yet Mr. Bush remains confident that he is on the right path and is determined to ‘stay the course’. This ‘staying’ may come to be the blackest mark on the sad legacy of President George W. Bush.
Finally, we would be wise to recognize that being endowed with an assured sense of rightness may well be the greatest curse a human can receive.
Jerry Clements 8/31/05
One of the chief characteristics of a bully is his sincere conviction that his Maker endowed him with an innate sense of rightness. He doesn’t have to be taught to select the right solution, he was born with the knowledge of what is right. When hiking or biking through the forest he doesn’t have to check the map or a compass to choose the correct fork to take. Often such a gift is accompanied by a determination to pursue the chosen course regardless of the consequences.
Being assured of the correctness of his course, there is no reason to consider alternatives or be concerned with advice from other people, even though those people might be true experts, experienced in the particular field. The bully pushes forward on his chosen path, ignoring the possibility that he might be wrong. His air of self confidence may convince many fellow travelers that he is surely right. Those who persist in showing him the adverse trail signs are scoffed at or may be kicked out of the group.
The Bully in this tale is our president, George W. Bush. True to form, he has led us into a war that is tearing our nation apart. He has told us of a Call he received to help bring the Maker’s gift of freedom to all of the peoples of the world. The Call came upon him several years ago, accompanied by a divine guidebook implanted securely in his person. Even though advice, events and history yell in his ears that he has been on the wrong trail from the git-go, he is determined to stay the course. He says: “It is the right thing to do.”
The Commander-in-chief proudly calls himself a “War President” as if he were playing the role of a General on a black stallion, sword drawn, charging ahead into the valley of death. He closes his eyes to the fallen as they lie dying and refuses to hear the moans of the loved ones. He knows he is right. Nothing else matters.
The nation which usually supports their leader in war is witnessing growing dissent, with national polls indicating that a large, and growing, segment of the population believes that we went into Iraq on false pretenses. A few members of the President’s own political party are raising questions about the justification of the war and are questioning the wisdom of getting bogged down in a quagmire like we did in Viet Nam.
Yet Mr. Bush remains confident that he is on the right path and is determined to ‘stay the course’. This ‘staying’ may come to be the blackest mark on the sad legacy of President George W. Bush.
Finally, we would be wise to recognize that being endowed with an assured sense of rightness may well be the greatest curse a human can receive.
Jerry Clements 8/31/05
posted by Jeremiah | 4:35 PM
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