Beware the seductive charm of the three-headed hydra
We have urgent work to do in a pandemic and you will be slowed down, misdirected and blocked by hydras. Allow me to explain.
It took the collision of a pandemic, economic disruption and physical isolation across our cities to come face to face with a stark reality. Our vulnerable families (that would be almost every family) are struggling to varying degrees, wondering what’s happening to health care, school, jobs and what feels like a derailed future.
We know how to fix this. We also know there are those in power who would prefer we do nothing.
The Sociopath Removal Project
As champions focused on building systems of care, the sociopaths emerge. Some wield great power and we need to identify them, call them out and get them out of the way.
But what is a sociopath?
Reading the definition provided by the MAYO Clinic, one of the top rated medical centers in the nation, I was reminded of my university course in abnormal psychology. I learned that being a sociopath means having a mental disorder called antisocial personal disorder. A sociopath is a person who consistently shows no regard for right and wrong and ignores the rights and feelings of others. People with antisocial personality disorder tend to manipulate others, often with incredible charm. The capacity to ooze charm, when saying all the right things, is a sociopath’s real superpower.
This superpower is used to manipulate others for personal gain or professional and political power. The skilled sociopaths are very good at hiding their arrogance and a sense of superiority. They say everything you want to hear but lack empathy for you and all others. They also lack remorse about harming you and others through their actions or inactions. The sociopaths who cross our paths and attempt to sabotage our work, fail to consider the negative consequences of their behaviors.
The Urban Dictionary offers more.
“Sociopaths are people who have little to no conscience. They will lie and manipulate others for their own benefit. Sociopaths are really nice and charming at first, almost too nice, but it’s extremely fake. The niceness will last until a problem occurs in which they are at fault, however, you will be manipulated to believe that you are in the wrong. There is no reasoning with this person. They are compulsive liars and even if they do apologize, it’s never genuine. Once you realize that you are dealing with a sociopath, RUN.”
We can’t run, not anymore.
We don’t have the luxury, in a pandemic and economic free fall, to indulge the sociopath. Sociopaths have their weaknesses. They are, at the end of the day, ruled by fear. They are cowards and being called out for the damaged and frightened people they are is their kryptonite.
If we can keep their claws off our work, we must do so. If they have the power to derail our projects that represent a lifeline to families, we have to devote some energy to disempowering them. We have to report their negative behaviors to their bosses and boards. We have to remove them from any position where they might have control over you or any organization.
Devoting energy to defanging sociopathic three-headed hydras is not what any of us wish to do with our days. Yet it is part of the work until we can direct sociopaths to behavioral health care, not positions of influence.
Our mission of creating a society with the services that demonstrate how we truly care for everyone is described beautifully in the video being watched by millions (96,500,000 google searches thus far). See “The Great Realisation” by writer Tomos Roberts.
The future is what we make it. Join the evolution.
Please excuse any typos as I construct an article at 3am on only one cup of Joe. These stories are mine and mine alone. I do not represent any organization here. If one of my illustrations looks like a real human or hydra, that’s total coincidence. Words and images ©Dominic Cappello but share with everyone you know. Any questions? The mission awaits: www.tenvitalservices.org
