It's Hard To Be Humble
I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, that walk in a way that is not good, after their own thoughts; a people that provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens, and burning incense upon bricks; that sit among the graves, and lodge in the secret places; that eat swine’s flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels; that say, Stand by yourself, come not near to me, for I am holier than you. Isaiah 65:2-5
"I am perfect, faultless, any mistakes are the result of someone else making a
mistake." "I know all the answers but no one listens!" There are those who know
they are naturally superior to the rest of us "idiots." We would be better off
if we could only see our failings and their obvious intelligence. Does this
sound familiar?
These individuals truly believe themselves to be above the rest of us. Each
believes that he should be the leader of leaders in any group or situation. They
espouse themselves to be the "enlightened" one(s); if only we who are blind
would follow them to the "light" they could lead us to the "truth(s)" others are
hiding from us. Often these "enlightened" people were among those they now claim
to be deceivers, but now we are to follow them to receive that which is justly
our due (sounds like Absalom in 2 Samuel 15: 1 - 6 doesn't it?). Their goal: to
gain a following by broadcasting seeds of discontent toward those in charge and
showing how THEY would do things differently through their greater intellect, if
only allowed to do so.
One thing is certain: these people have no shortage of self-esteem (nor do most
prison inmates). By their supposed superiority these people are naturally
self-absorbed, and feel put upon by the unappreciative (and inferior) masses.
What is another word for being self-absorbed? Narcissistic. In spell-dictionary.com,
narcissism is defined as the excessive (even erotic) admiration of oneself
(person and/or body) characterized by the preoccupation of self, a lack of
empathy for others, and being unconscious of deficits in one's own self-esteem.
A synonym for narcissism is conceit. Other sites show the following
characteristics: betrayal, belittling, lying, manipulation, verbal and emotional
abuse, self-centered, no remorse for mistakes or misdeeds (indeed how can there
be since such individuals see themselves as perfect?), high blaming behavior
(never his fault), has a good persona in order to impress/exploit others
(falsely appears to be concerned/caring/understanding), easily angered (even to
the point of rage), people are means to his ends, control's a conversation to
his gain (if trapped he will twist the conversation, change subjects, dominates
the conversation [to the point of a monolog], becomes angry if all else fails),
pathological lying, "control freak," uses situational ethics, holds grudges, has
secret like activities, creates chaos for no reason, has a grandiose image of
himself, does not see how they come across to others, controls other by breaking
the spirit of people/sabotage/threats, compelled to convince others to follow
him (and is often successful), hides his real self, has to be right (again he
must be since he is perfect), no room for any discussion on anything (always
right so your opinions cannot matter), hidden agenda, very good
at reading people, not interested in solving problems (chaos yields power), this
person leaves you drained/worn out when you are around them. And the list goes
on.
A possible result of an extreme case of narcissism is "Body Dimorphic Disorder"
(BDD). This problem deals with the excessive preoccupation with a defect (real
or imagined) of a particular body part. These people see their body as perfect
EXCEPT for this one (or few) thing(s). Such preoccupation can lead to being
dysfunctional in any, or all aspects of life. It is equally evident in the male
as well as female population. Among the disorders that can accompany BDD are:
major depression, avoidance, obsessive-compulsive disorder, delusional disorder,
and gender identity problems.
Does any of this sound familiar? It might. There are unhappy individuals
and organizations controlled by such individuals that fit most of these
descriptions. Do you know of any that purport to have been so undervalued
in their innate knowledge that they HAD to abandon their former association(s)
in order to "escape?" What about being unable to acknowledge an incidence
of being mistaken and instead of admission and correction accuse others of
attacking them and their efforts? There are some who even give out veiled
threats against those who, for good reason, expose their tactics and
self-serving falsehoods. Could I go on? I could, but suffice it to
say that such individuals and organizations exist only on negativity toward
others and self-aggrandizement. Do they have anything new or of real value
to put forth? No, only hatred toward those who know and expose them (or
might), and an over inflated sense of their pseudo-importance.
Could there be more said about these individuals? Yes, unhappily society
endorses a type of narcissistic attitude; a trip through any
self-help/psychology section of a book store will reveal this. How a bout
religion? Yes there too mainly in the Eastern philosophy religions and
almost any cult you wish to look at. The problem is that although a
HEALTHY love of one's self is a sign of sanity (Ephesians 5: 29 "for no man ever
hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it...") even the Messiah would
not call himself "good" ("And Yahshua said to him, Why do you call me good? No
one is good save one, even Yahweh." Mark 10: 18). I would submit to you
that, if any one thinks of themselves as perfect, they make themselves to be in
the place of Elohim: therefore anti-Messiah. Any one that would stroke your ego
into thinking that you are perfect would make you of the same spirit.
Perfection is a goal that I have not attained, nor anyone that I have met.
Yahweh willing it will be attained at the return of Messiah.
"Not that
I have already obtained, or am already made perfect: but I press on, if so be
that I may lay hold on that for which I was laid hold on by the Messiah
Yahshua." Philippians 3: 12.
Looking unto Yahshua the author and
finisher of our faith... Hebrews 12:2
What should you do if you find you are dealing with such an individual or
organization? First, be cautious and evaluate the situation. The
ultimate goal is to disassociate yourself from them, but beware. In some cases it could
be dangerous to do so without help (some of the more militant extremist groups
come to mind); in most cases you can just put them completely out of your life
with a minimum of concern. Be advised: you are now one of "those" people
as far as the egocentric person is concerned - so be it. What advantage is
there in leaving them to themselves? Much, most of all they will not be
able to drain you emotionally, financially, or monopolize your time anymore! You
will be free to search and develop more wholesome relationships, and to search
and find Truth.
Humbly Yours in Messiah,
Finnegan
Finnegan AKA The Mick
www.spell-dictonary.com
www.narcissisticabuse.com
www.aafp.org/afp/991015ap/1738.html )American Family Physician Oct 15, 1999
"In Pursuit of Perfection: A Primary Care Physician's Guide to Body Dysmorphic
Disorder" James R. Slaughter, M.D. & Ann M. Sun, M.D. University of Missouri
Columbia
School of Medicine, Columbia, MO.
http://samvak.tripod.com/index.html
Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language, College Edition
© 1966
Perfect In Every Way!