“Maturity
is being able to see through the eyes of another.”
----from "The Quotations of Chairman Joe"
Maturity
is being able to see through the eyes of another. This is its true
definition. Being able to see through the eyes of another means
that one must recognize 'the other'. One must be able to put
oneself, intellectually and, at times, emotionally in the
'place' of 'the other'. In doing so one not only recognizes 'the
other', but begins the process of legitimizing the presence of 'the
other', perhaps in time getting to truly know 'the other'.
We
define juvenile—meaning 'childlike-- behavior as a pronounced
self-centeredness, often manifesting itself into an aggravating form
of narcissism. Just as for the Greeks citizen was the opposite of
idiot, maturity is the opposite of childlike. And what most marks the
passage from childhood to adulthood? Being able to apprehend,
understand, see through the eyes of and putting oneself in the place of
the other. In a word: empathy.
To become mature one must have empathy. Those
familiar with childhood development know that the process of
recognizing, then knowing 'the other', takes some time. For some it
is a normal process taking a few months or years; for some it is a
long and tortuous process; for others it never happens. Normally the
child begins to see beyond himself in childhood and the process of
maturity becomes well advanced by early adolescence. In the case of
our Caesar Disgustus, “The Donald” never took the first step
toward maturity.
When
columnist George F. Will wrote that tRUMP doesn't know what it is to
know he was referring to objective knowledge. The problem runs much
deeper than that. Caesar Disgustus' 'unknowing' extends far beyond
textbook knowledge. Indeed it extends to the very heart of body and
soul; for what makes Disgustus so disgusting is his inability to see
beyond himself. He is an adult trapped in the mind of a three year
old, held in the grips of a mental and emotional retardation that
renders him unable to grasp the essence of anyone about him. People
are simply objects to be used and discarded or, if he is offended,
simply dismissed. Biographer David Cay Johnston relates how tRUMP
reacted when members of the family sued because the heirs of his
alcoholic brother Fred were not give their due. Disgustus cut off
the medical insurance for his Great-Nephew who then died an early
death. Explaining himself he simply told his biographer that “they
had sued my dad”--that is his father's estate. This, in the eyes
of Disgustus was an unforgivable act causing, in turn, an act of
retribution regardless of the consequent pain and suffering.
Disgustus could not relate to the pain he would cause for he cannot
see through the eyes of another, he cannot see beyond himself.
This
week we see him defending a White House aide who was forced from
office by accusations of domestic violence, acts which prevented him
from gaining the necessary security clearance for the job he held for
over a year. Disgustus couldn't bring himself to see through the
eyes of the victim, he could only chirp about what a sad day it was
for the perpetrator, what a great job he had done while serving by
his side (and, by extension, what a great choice Disgustus had made
putting him there), and how unfair the whole process had been.
Nothing about the pain and suffering of the victims, nothing about
the inappropriateness and the mistakes made concerning the hiring of
this man and keeping him in a position requiring security clearances
that everyone knew were not to be forthcoming.
It
is for these reasons that he fails so miserably at performing one of
the most important tasks of the office—that of being
consoler-in-chief. To console the nation one must have empathy and
empathy, for this man-child, simply does not exist. It is for these
reasons that he cannot bring himself to apologize no matter how
egregiously offensive his actions. It is for these reasons that he
takes no heed to the pain and suffering his policies inflict—on
immigrants, the sick and elderly, on the poor, on minorities, on the
very middle class upon whom a healthy republic depends. It is for
these reasons that he always plays the victim, always throwing a
temper tantrum, for he cannot possibly perceive his actions to be
anything but honorable; any criticism as disingenuous and a betrayal.
It is for this reason that Disgustus, like the cartoon character
Pepe Le Pew, cannot understand why the country finds him so
disgusting.
“The
Donald”, as his second wife called him, simply never grew up; the
child never became a man. And now the White House has become, in
Senator Corker's telling phrase, “an adult day-care center”,
where aides work tirelessly, if not entirely successfully, trying to
control “L' Enfant Terrible”.
“An'
Br'er Putin, he jus' laugh and laugh”.
Impeach
and Imprison
____________
Note:
L'Enfant Terrible is a French expression meaning one whose
startingly unconventional remarks or behavior cause deep
embarrassment to those around him, as a child will often offend the
adults in the room by inappropriate behaviors.
