Ego

Ego - a fitting topic for my return to LBC blogging after a brief time in the weeds as it was described. Or was it the shadows. Regardless - I’m baaaaaaaaaack.



Everyone has an ego - and how we manage our ego goes a long way toward shaping what people think of us. Ego is continually on display in politics - the battleground wherein the overinflated egos of several of our politicians are on display in all their unwarranted arrogance simply - in most cases - as a means of posturing for position in whatever election comes next. There's the supremely arrogant (or confident as his supporters say) Ted Cruz - the Tea Party's latest darling since the fall of Sarah Palin, Harry Reid - that grand embarrassment to the great state of Nevada, John Boehner - he of the free-flowing tear ducts and the apoplectic former VP Al Gore to name a few. Where you fall on the political spectrum most likely determines whether or not you see any of them as egotistical jackasses or supremely confident leaders.

The common thread in those listed is they all have strong egos. Most leaders do. In fact try and name a leader that does not have a strong ego. Gandhi? I suggest he was supremely confident in himself and his humble facade masked a gigantic ego. He knew exactly what he was doing. His sense of self-worth was as comfortably worn as his clothes.

We can have conflicting egos - as a young athlete I was self-confident and assured. I wanted the ball in the big game - wanted the other team to run my way on the big down so I could stuff the play and loved being on the wrestling mat in a big tournament or dual meet. But put me in front of a 5'2" female that had the audacity to look at me, smile and god forbid talk to me and uh oh. It was find a rock to hide behind time. Knocking knees resembled a Dave Clark drum roll (well - Clark was a fraud - those recorded drum rolls were really Bobby Graham's). Speaking of Clark - his massive ego comes from his ability to make money back in the early days of the British Invasion (the musical invasion). Add in the adulation of millions of teen agers and in his case the result was/is an ego of massive proportions that is firmly in the winning isn't everything - it's the only thing camp.

Me? As I've said many times, I'm a simple guy. My ego is largely in check - but I have my moments. Blogging can be a grand way to put your ego on display and I've done that a time or two. I once mentioned my IQ - not to brag about the number but to show that IQ does not always relate to common sense and real-world smarts. Bad idea. A reader took me to task over that exercise. I read a lot so I fall into the camp of those who know a little about a lot of things. And as you know - a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. But I love the debate above all else so my ego can handle the occasional bashing as long as I get my licks on. And if I can offer any advice about ego, I say embrace your ego. It's a large part of who you are. It's a shaper of your personality.