Envy
It is a curious fact, in need of explanation, that much ofthe world is currently cursed by awful leadership at once. Justin Trudeau, Iwould argue, is the worst prime minister Canada has ever had. Joe Biden iscertainly in the running for worst US president. Francis is so historicallyawful as pope some Catholics wonder if he is a sign of the end times. RishiSunak in Britain is, at best, a technocratic cipher.
And why is it that, not so long ago, the US, Britain, andthe Catholic church all had outstanding leaders at once: Ronald Reagan, MargaretThatcher, John Paul II?
I am reminded of the adage, “hard times produce good men.Good man produce easy times. Easy times produce weak men, Weak men produce hardtimes.” This may be the cycle.
Reagan followed the appallingly pusillanimous Jimmy Carterand his time of “malaise.” Thatcher followed a period of labour chaos presidedover by the forgettable Jim Callaghan. John Paul II followed the notoriouslyprevaricating Pope Paul VI, the “Hamlet pope,” who seemed not to know his ownmind.
Conversely, Justin Trudeau came in following a period of tranquilityand prosperity, thanks to the fiscal discipline of Stephen Harper and, to someextent, Paul Martin and Jean Chretien before him. Although Trump’s presidencywas superficially chaotic, Joe Biden followed a period of unusual peace andprosperity under Obama and Trump. Francis was elected after JPII and theintellectually impressive Benedict XVI.
I think this tendency to elect medicrities can be put downto envy. In ordinary times, people do not want to vote for someone better thanthey are. They will actually prefer a mediocrity. They turn to impressiveleaders only in an emergency.
This is especially a problem in the US Democratic party. Theparty starts out representing the bottom half of the US IQ range: there istruth to the old saying that anyone who is not a socialist in youth has no heart,but anyone who is not a conservative once they grow up has no brain. And it ispositively founded on envy as its chief principle. So this coalition is goingto want to elect people with a lower than average intelligence. This explains alot.
Winston Churchill is the perfect example of this envy principle. He had been ingovernment for decades—but he was not popular with his colleagues. Theypreferred to give the premiership to Neville Chamberlain, a dull mediocrity,perfectly suited, as someone remarked, to be mayor of Birmingham. He blew withthe wind.
Only once in the most desperate crisis, did his country turnto Churchill. As soon as the crisis passed, they turned away again, in favourof another cipher, Clement Atlee, “a modest man,” as Churchill described him, “withmuch to be modest about.”
The sin of envy is all-powerful; it holds us all back. ittears down statues of the great. It holds human civilization back inuncountable ways.
'Od's Blog: Catholic comments on the passing parade.
