Character Counts

Let’s postulate that in our nature, we all have to confront the dilemma of our existence and deal with our aloneness and isolation within the Milky Way galaxy. In essence, we are simply a speck of dust in comparison to the big picture. So how can we deal with this dilemma in our abstraction and alienation society? For one, it’s important to be liked and popular. One has said that he destroyed 16 others during the presidential primaries, and he is the last one standing. One has said, look at my poll numbers aren’t they great. He continues to say that he’s met so many great people along the way. And, replied more recently, how I can be behind in the current polls when there are thousands of people coming to my rallies -I don’t understand. [I want to be liked and thought I was]. In fact, many more people arrive at these rallies than can be seated [more tickets are distributed than there are seats]. He stated that he can’t understand those poll numbers because of his high popularity. Another character aspect is about acquisition, consumption and being marketable. There becomes a need to acquire and consume whether it be things or abstractions. The expression “he who has the biggest toys wins or he who has the most toys” fits here [a clever marketing ploy.] Acquiring comes in many forms, including buildings, casinos, airplanes, models or even selling one’s name to be put on a building. Unfortunately, consumption alone does not fill the void in his ego. It certainly does not result in his happiness. For example, Bill Gates, according to recent statistics, is the wealthiest man in the world. I would wager that he is not the happiest person in the world. The act of acquiring or consuming leads to a superficial status within our society, but does not lead to a meaningful human existence. One can never fully satisfy the void through consumption alone. Some might call it greed. Acquiring, consuming can never be an end in itself as it’s like repeatedly filling a hole with sand or water that has with no bottom. Simply put, one never has enough. A more meaningful human experience is about production, producing or artistic creation. Even prehistoric man in his quest for survival found and expressed man’s nature with his cave drawings of concrete objects within his existence. We admire individuals in our past history come to mind like Plato, Socrates, Epictetus, Kepler, Galileo, Michelangelo, Tolstoy, Shakespeare, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Picasso, Espinosa, Beethoven, Bach, Rousseau, Sartre, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Darwin, Smith, Jefferson, Hamilton, Roosevelt, Currie, Salk, Marx, Edison, Freud, Fromm, Pavlov, Einstein, Oppenheimer, Pollock, Hemingway, Dreiser, Fitzgerald, Miller, Jobs, and Gates to name just a few for what they produced or created and not for what they consumed or acquired. It’s extremely important for this selfless one to be marketable. He has to become a saleable commodity. He has to use his negotiating skills get the best deal for his selfless self regardless of the consequences. It doesn’t matter if known or unknown others are taken advantage of, paid less or lost their savings or wealth in the process. It’s simply about winning at all costs and the heck with the other. It’s not about fair play, integrity or human respect. It’s about being on top and the ends justify the means. For this individual, there’s a need to exchange. Adam Smith believed that the need to exchange is a basic need in human nature in that it’s common for all men. However, this need to exchange does not always serve any real or practical purpose. It’s about exchange and selling one’s personality on the market in order to receive the best value in the exchange. For this individual, the striving to exchange his social position in order to attain the “better” deal and also to be the boss in order to control those around him with “you’re fired.” Of course, exchanging wives, buildings, casinos, campaign managers, and delegates does not result in fulfilling the dilemma of human existence. Being liked, acquiring, consuming, being marketable and exchanging are character characteristics of this presidential candidate that result in need, drive or behavior. These various behaviors may temporarily diminish his feelings of anxiety and feelings of inferiority. However, these behaviors can’t fulfill or solve the human condition of aloneness, or isolation. This individual has superficial relationships at best -just ask his ex-wives for starters. More than likely, this individual is not fully aware of self and will continue like a speeding train going downhill without breaks, smashing and destroying things in the process. Heaven help us if he gets elected.