#but he does love to see exploitable interpersonal hostility

[kristybluebird]

A flash and it's born, a flash and it fades.

A flash and it's born, a flash and it fades.

[themindfulword]

LOVE AND THE WORLD: How compassion and trust can impact international politics

Love vs. the drive for power

The loving mind recognizes the value and beauty in every living thing. It seeks to preserve and protect the world around us, including our environment. A loving person is incapable of committing acts of violence, betrayal, theft or other social or ethical crimes, or of exploiting other humans, animals and natural resources out of greed and selfishness. The loving individual suffers with any destruction but rejoices at every act of kindness. World affairs are often managed by politicians and businesspeople whose prevailing impulses aren’t loving. Politics and economic wealth appeal to a very strong human impulse, the drive for power. The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche coined the term Wille zur Macht (will to power) to describe what he regarded as a central human drive to reach the highest attainable position in a group. Nietzsche believed the will to power to be the main force underlying human behavior. From an evolutionary standpoint, it’s intuitive that the drive for power should be a strong impulse, because a dominant position in a group allows a greater probability of successful reproduction—both in terms of the number of progeny and the probability that offspring will survive to reproductive age. A powerful person can provide for more sexual partners and more children. He or she also is better positioned to protect himself or herself from antagonists and to support descendants. Accordingly, striving for power, wealth and comfort is a strong trait in humans, one that frequently trumps considerations of love in political and business decisions. Following the will to power requires self-serving impulses to prevail, and these often conflict with impulses to serve others. Even for those who manage to reach a position of power without compromising their integrity, the desire to remain in power may clash strongly with their intentions to control egotistic impulses. The disastrous result for world affairs—and for humanity—is that people who obtain commanding positions are often not driven by a focus on loving. Conversely, those who prioritize love in their lives are less likely to end up in highly influential roles. They’re more likely to focus on family, community and volunteer work. Furthermore, people who immerse themselves in loving activities are often indifferent to politics, leaving contests for political leadership open to those who are hungry for power. These dynamics pave the way for governments and important institutions to be headed by egomaniacs driven by the desire for influence and control instead of a genuine aspiration to improve people’s lives. The renowned psychologist Carl G. Jung summarized this pattern: “Where love rules, there is no will to power; and where power predominates, there love is lacking. The one is the shadow of the other.” Occasionally, we see world leaders who retain a strong focus on loving after rising to positions of great influence. Sadly, these individuals remain exceptional.

The importance of compassionate politics

The economic and political impact of the lack of love in world affairs is difficult to ascertain with any precision, but it’s surely enormous. International politics is fundamentally no different from interactions between individuals. A nation devoted exclusively to advancing its own interests, without any concern for its global neighbours, will earn resentment and opposition from other nations rather than co-operation and goodwill. Political leadership that’s not guided by love is also likely to foster inequality, hardship and injustice, which in turn may lead to violent conflict. Research suggests that the perception of injustice is among the most important motivations for terrorism. If a country’s polices are perceived by others as threatening their fundamental rights, such as the freedom of religion, they may elicit fervent and violent resistance. On the other hand, as in interpersonal dealings, if a government’s policies and actions demonstrate care and respect for others, it gains credibility and trust and undermines support for antagonizing, extreme voices. The same applies to citizens who live under an unjust and immoral government. The genuinely caring policies of another nation may weaken the authority of the corrupt government, whereas confrontation and threat only unify opponents and escalate conflict. Importantly, compassionate politics facilitate the building of broad alliances to isolate nations that violate human rights. Like love, amicable relationships between nations require effort and introspection. If a nation’s leaders don’t try to understand the effect of the nation’s actions on others, it’ll be difficult to have good international relationships. If they make errors of judgment and antagonize other nations (or factions within nations), they must concentrate on restoring others’ trust by acknowledging their mistakes and by displaying consistently honourable behavior. While such an approach won’t convince all extremists to drop their weapons, it’ll erode the support for extremists and discourage followers from joining an antagonistic group, which is a critical measure for containing extremist movements.

The effects of valuing and trusting others

Many believe, however, that international leadership requires a show of strength and that it’s naive and dangerous to trust in the goodwill of others. Ultimately, it comes down to our view of human beings. Do we believe people are inherently selfish, greedy and hostile, or that people generally act from good intentions but may sometimes be misguided? The former attitude has led to worldwide distrust and suspicion, hampering progress in international relationships. An approach of respect and goodwill is more likely to bring peace and co-operation in the long term. Along with numerous devastating wars, world history contains many examples of treaties and agreements between nations. At the heart of diplomacy is the willingness to compromise: to respect another party’s interests and to make concessions. Leaders with a genuine interest in peace and in improving the human condition will choose this path whenever possible. Before the First World War, for instance, the 19th-century Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck carefully arranged a balance of power among European nations by crafting a number of alliances. Bismarck is credited with preserving the peace during turbulent times in Europe, as many countries strove for power and influence. Little more than a decade after Bismarck, however, Europe was careering toward war. The First World War—which the American diplomat and historian George F. Kennan called the “seminal catastrophe” of the 20th century, and which paved the way for the Second World War—is now widely regarded as resulting from failures of leadership and diplomacy. Considerate actions by European leaders could plausibly have prevented the 17 million deaths, as well as the destruction that ravaged the continent. Winston Churchill believed, as many historians do today, that the Second World War and its 60 million deaths could’ve been prevented if the international community had worked together to contain Hitler. The fundamental principle of love applies to all human interactions, from the individual to the global scale. It helps to remember that this planet is our home and that we’re all related: we have much more uniting us than separating us. Most people, indeed, are well-meaning and want to live peacefully: avoiding conflict is an evolutionary impulse that promotes survival. Does this mean all people are good? Certainly, many people all over the world display disrespectful, selfish, greedy behavior at times. We may not be able to change their ways, but we can control our own actions and form alliances among those with common interests. Leading with integrity has always inspired others because it speaks to our strongest intrinsic, evolutionary purpose: that is, to unite our species for the sake of its survival, rather than to divide it. It’s evident that the human impact on our planet has been disastrous. We’re flooding the Earth with our waste and pollutants, destroying other species with whom we share it. We were given a paradise, but we seem to be doing our best to turn it into hell. It’s easy to assign blame, but it’s difficult for individuals to halt the destruction in which we’re all, to some degree, complicit. The first step towards effecting change is awareness and recognition of what we're doing to the world. Love requires us to value other lives. We can’t expect love for ourselves while being unloving to others. Loving involves respecting and nurturing life, recognizing the miracle in every being. To have love in our lives requires us to love the world. Exploitation of other humans, animals or our environment may lead to material gain, but it’ll preclude our own happiness. «RELATED READ» THAT ALL ARE CREATED EQUAL: The painful journey from the ideal to realizing the reality» image 1: public domain by The White House via Wikimedia Commons; image 2: public domain via Wikimedia Commons Read the full article

[hxrdlycallthisabomb-blog]

About the muse

[This will be added to a page on my blog in the future, but for now here is a reference.]

Name: Jason "J.D" Dean Age: 17-25 Depending on verse. Default at 17-21 Height: 6'4 Birthday: August 18th Hair color: Black Hair style: Slightly long, a bit wavy. He tends to straighten it sometimes though. Very ragged appearance, think like curly hair that hasn't been styled- a frizzy mess of waves. This only applies to the longer parts of his fringe though. Eye color: Blue Grey Personality: ---- [Still need to do the 16 types test] Disorders: Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder.

VERY in depth information on the disorders below the cut:

BPD:

The following are hallmarks of Borderline Personality Disorder:

Intense fear of abandonment, real or imaginary.

Having intense relationships with lots of conflict, and seeing the other person as “all-good" or “all bad."

Feeling unsure about one’s identity; a lack of “personhood" or non-existence. Feeling empty, like one has a black put inside them that can never fill up.

Engaging in impulsive “pain management" behaviors, such as going on spending sprees, having promiscuous sex, driving recklessly, abusing drugs or alcohol, binge eating, breaking the law, threatening suicide or making attempts, and engaging in self-harm.

Being emotional unstable: frequent and fast mood changes; uncontrolled, intense anger and rage; and intense sadness and irritability.

Paranoia in very stressful situations; episodes of numbness or “zoning out" or “dissociation" (feeling numb or "zoned out").

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental disorder marked by a pattern of ongoing instability in moods, behavior, self-image, and functioning. These experiences often result in impulsive actions and unstable relationships. A person with BPD may experience intense episodes of anger, depression, and anxiety that may last from only a few hours to days.

The causes of BPD are not yet clear, but research suggests that genetic, brain, environmental and social factors are likely to be involved.

Genetics. BPD is about five times more likely to occur if a person has a close family member (first-degree biological relatives) with the disorder.

Environmental and Social Factors. Many people with BPD report experiencing traumatic life events, such as abuse or abandonment during childhood. Others may have been exposed to unstable relationships and hostile conflicts. However, some people with BPD do not have a history of trauma. And, many people with a history of traumatic life events do not have BPD.

Brain Factors. Studies show that people with BPD have structural and functional changes in the brain, especially in the areas that control impulses and emotional regulation. However, some people with similar changes in the brain do not have BPD. More research is needed to understand the relationship between brain structure and function and BPD.

          NPD:

The following are hallmarks of Narcissistic Personality Disorder:

Lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others

Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)

Has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations

Is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends

Is often envious of others or believes others are envious of him or her

Requires excessive admiration

Shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

Believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)

Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love

Narcissistic personality disorder is rare. During childhood and teen years, children may show traits of narcissism, but this may simply be typical of their age and doesn't mean they'll go on to develop narcissistic personality disorder.

Narcissistic personality disorder affects more males than females, and it often begins in the teens or early adulthood. Although the cause of narcissistic personality disorder isn't known, some researchers think that in biologically vulnerable children, parenting styles that overemphasize the child's specialness and criticize fears and failures may be partially responsible. The child may hide low self-esteem by developing a superficial sense of perfection and behavior that shows a need for constant admiration.

It's not known what causes narcissistic personality disorder. As with other mental disorders, the cause is likely complex. Narcissistic personality disorder may be linked to:

   Mismatches in parent-child relationships with either excessive pampering or excessive criticism

Genetics or psychobiology — the connection between the brain and behavior and thinking

BPD and NPD Together:

Now while it may seem that these two are quite different from one another, considering people with BPD often are very depressed and have a low self image, and people with NPD often are very high thinking of themselves. It isn't exactly uncommon for someone to have both.

About  a third of people with BPD also have narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). People with NPD require a continual supply of admiration, special treatment, and confirmation of their superiority. A hallmark of the disorder is that they don’t have empathy for other people; that is, they can’t put themselves in another person’s place. To the person with NPD, other people are objects whose function is to meet their needs.

People with NPD may come off as quite charming and confident, even arrogant. They may overestimate their abilities and devalue yours. But don’t let that fool you. Narcissists are actually needier than most people, with low self-esteem and feelings of emptiness and worthlessness. If anyone crosses them or challenges them in any way, they feel empty, jealous, and angry.

People who have both BPD and NPD are typically very destructive when it comes to relationships. Extreme fear of rejection, intense emotional displays, lack of empathy for others, and manipulative behavior make living with these individuals very difficult.

How this affects J.D and Why I believe he has both:

BPD and NPD tend to coexist in a very precise and destructive way. With the mood swings of BPD and the self importance of NPD it can create a very deadly concoction of an outburst if one were to arise. Which is why I feel like it fits J.D perfectly. He has no issue in murdering people- we all know that. Hell, he does it because he believes he is doing the right thing, because he believes that he is the ONLY one who can keep Veronica safe and so thats his solution to the problems she faces.

If we are to take the play for example, in the song Meant to Be Yours. It is very obvious that he breaks into her house to kill her because she dumped him- and that was a low blow to his already fragile enough ego. Which is typical of people with both disorders to have. Now, I do believe that JD puts off a very self entitled personality. This is because once again, in the song he is claiming that veronica is HIS. That she was MEANT to be HIS. That nobody else is allowed to have her if he cant.

"Those assholes are the key. They're keeping you away from me. They made you blind messed up your mind. But I can set you free."

He not only tries to coax veronica out of the closet with these words. He is putting the blame on everyone else- saying that he did no wrong by killing people, no it was the right thing to do- she was wrong for being scared. They messed up her mind and made her blind to the righteousness of what he was doing.

This is one of his outbursts we are witnessing. And It is very very clear and easy to see that in this moment he is not in the right track of mind. Simply because towards the end of the song we have the following quotes:

"You carved open my heart. Cant just leave me to bleed."

Right there is his manipulative behaviour, as if he is blaming veronica for everything- and it sounds as if he is falling apart.H is tone IMMEDIATELY switches however, showing just how psychotic and dangerous he can be. "VERONICA!" He screams, obviously showing his patience is at its wits end, before realizing that it wont do any good to scream, so instead he immediately switches back to a pleading tone. Which is to try and coax her out once more and get her back into his arms and into his plans. He is deceiving her and trying to get her to go along with his every word. "Open the- Open the door please. Veronica, open the door. Veronica can we not fight anymore please? Can we not fight anymore? Veronica sure youre scared I've been there, I can set you free-"

"Veronica DONT make me come in there. Im gonna count to three!"

When he realized the manipulation by being sweet isnt working, he immediately swaps to a threatening note. Threatening to break down the door and go in there himself and force her to cooperate if she isnt willing to.Which ultimately ends with him finding Veronica having hung herself. You can sense the pain in his voice as he breaks down-

"Please...dont...leave me alone. You were....all I could trust....I cant....do this alone..."

He is hurt by seeing this. He only intended to scare her- he didn't mean for her to kill himself. And It's shown that he is snapped out of his rage by this sight, perhaps even crying because she was the ONLY person he could trust. He doesn't want to be alone- hes terrified of being alone again. But once more he is pulled right back into his self-righteousness and ends with the line.

"Still I will If I must."

But now it seems that his vengeance is not based on what they did to her anymore. No it is based on him wanting revenge for her having killed herself (or so he assumed). He is willing to continue on living for her and is willing to continue on with his plans because of HER.

These few lines from just this song are why I believe he has both personality disorders. I have witnessed people with BPD before and they tend to be very dependent on others, much like J.D is with Veronica. Not only this but they often do have mood swings- granted they usually are not as violent as the ones that are displayed by J.D in this song. Hence why I drew the conclusion that he has NPD. Because not only does it tend to coexist with BPD, but the outbursts tend to be much more violent. That mixed in with his god complex and how he feels hes the only one who can protect her, it seems to fit his character very well.