Changing fortunes, changing minds (Editorial)
The Independent <http://www.qanet.gm/Independent/independent.html> (Banjul)
June 26, 2000
Banjul - We glossed over an authoritative article recently that seemed to
suggest that people change from year to year, or even from month to month. That
Mr. X in 1999 could not possibly be the same Mr. X in 2000. Well certainly,
there could be an element of truth in such a hypothesis. However, there is no
doubt that a great aspect of any single person, at some stage in their lives,
remains unaffected and unchanged to the end of their lives.
This is particularly true of people who attain the stage referred to by
psychologists as 'self-actualisation': when a person, through continuous study
and self-examination, attains that level of mental maturity that qualifies them
as a full human being. Such a stage is attained through positive engagement and
growth, and not through the negation of self and the forceful adoption of a
pseudo-personality and pseudo-self esteem.
Often though, people give an appearance of having attained self- actualisation
while in reality, they have not. Such people would give an impression of being
highly principled, highly honest, highly humble and uncompromisingly opposed to
all forms of injustice. They could operate as individuals, but in most cases,
they are among the most outspoken members of a human rights or justice movement,
fighting tooth, nail and claw to bring about the end of injustice and the
emergence of a free society characterised by everything positive in life. This,
needless to say, is the way self-actualised persons behave. They are principled
and are ready to suffer for their principles. They would rather chew the dust
than compromise the ideals they stand for.
What we seem to be noticing though, is that changing fortunes can show all
pretenders to self-actualisation in their true colours. We have seen people in
our society whom, until now, we had held in high esteem because we believed that
they were the principled and justice- loving people they seemed to be. When such
people were elevated to high positions of power and authority, we literally
jubilated because we thought they could use their positions to propagate their
proclaimed gospels of truth, justice and fair play.
Unfortunately however, such people are proving a great disappointment to us, and
needless to say, to many other people who had known them before. They are
proving by their words and actions, that their declared principles were all a
case of beautiful feathers; that all that formerly glittered in their words and
actions was, after all, not gold. It was brass hidden behind a thin veneer of
gold, which quickly vanished at the first taste of power.
These people have proven to us that indeed, power corrupts. But power can only
corrupt unformed minds and pseudo-personalities pretending to be principled.
Once a person attains true self- actualisation, that person can never be
corrupted by power. Instead, if such persons find themselves in positions of
power, they would harness that power for the progressive advancement of mankind.
Unfortunately though, only few people prove an exception to the general rule of
people who prove the exact opposite of what they professed to be, once fortune
smiles on them. What a pity.
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