Posted on 30-9-2003

Ego & Id
by Alan Marston

Kowtowing to the bully is not one of humanity's admirable qualities,
nevertheless it is endemic, one might justifiably say epidemic, in public
life. The interesting thing rarely spotted by bully and bullied alike is
that some hardy souls do not succumb and it is they who configure the
following generations. In that vein I would not expect Paul Holmes to
recover his top-dog role in broadcasting in New Zealand and I would not
expect Helen Clark to continue being the mouthpiece for biotech corporates
in the GE food debate but I do expect that Kofi Annan will continue to gain
respect on the world stage. G W Bush, its only a matter of time before
Iraq's David cripples USA's Goliath's military-industrial economy.

I believe Paul Holmes' comments about Kofi Annan and Helen Clark's role in
the GE debate come from the same place that is the source of most Greek
Tragedy, a place called Hubris. The Greeks were acutely aware of the danger
of what we now call ego-inflation, because a leader suffering from an out
of control ego could be fatal to the well-being of a whole city state. Yet
in the modern era, with leaders like G W Bush touting the worst kind of
imperial ambition backed up by nuclear weapons, the warnings of Greek
Tragedies are not just ignored, the populace is kept in profound ignorance
as to their import. Into the cyclone of ego-mania sweeping the `Global
Economy' all but the strong of character loose their feet. As yet the
strong are barely visible, they may well be from Africa and South America
and other lowlands.

Meantime we are obligatory spectators to `Ego and Id' the play of our times.

Act I: Scene I. The Church of the Latter Day United States (CLDUS) is rent
with internal struggle between contending pretenders to Heaven's Throne...
G W Bush is anointed by the money-changers.

Scene II. The new leader of Heaven storms Earth.

Scene II. Earth proves more solid than Heaven and Oil.

Scene III. Some mortals retain their centre, expose the icons as straw dogs.

Scene IV. CLDUS remains, but purged for a time from Hubris.


Act II: Scene I. Kofi Annan uses the UN podium to warn the world off G W
Bush's doctrine US broad spectrum dominance

Scene II. Paul Holmes sees his God criticised, assumes the mantle of God's
servant in New Zealand, acts accordingly only to find he is not God and has
demonstrated that fact with utmost clarity.

Scene III. Righteous indignation sweeps the land, the masses want the
false God destroyed, the pretender to divinity is brought down.

Scene IV. A new Icon for worship is hoisted into position.


Act III: Scene I. After waiting in the wings for 20 years Helen Clark is
raised to high office by a spiritually starved populace desperate for a new
leader, any leader.

Scene II. Auspicious events are attributed to the leader. The leader
suffers from ego-inflation.

Scene III. The populace find themselves lead by a demi-god who no longer
listens.

Scene IV. Greek Tragedy in wool and tramping boots, the God is defeated in
battle.


Post play consciousness: When all around is spinning, stand still.