A THIN LINE

There seems to be a thin line between sanity and insanity.   Between brilliance and narcissism. Between genius and mental illness. Between visionary and cult leader.   Between strong leadership and dictatorship.   Between amassing wealth and  being driven by greed.  Between republicans and democrats.   And ultimately, between life and death.   I think about Adam and Eve. God gave them everything they could imagine and want - beauty beyond measure, the position of ruler of all the created world.   All that was intended for good. Evil and hurt lay only one degree off that mark. The result created sin and death and heartache and struggle. Bad altered what was intended for good.   Don't leave me hate comments quite yet.   Finish reading.   Hitler had quite a bit of brilliance.   Study his earlier life leading up to the part of his being the purveyor of the Aryan race theme which orchestrated and carried out the murder of millions of Jewish people.  Brilliance became narcissistic.  I quite like my definition of narcissism; a way of living, functioning, and thinking in which you don't see yourself as anything less than king of the world.  Narcissism is a common thread of those who have crossed that thematic line of brilliance, genius, sanity, visionary, strong leadership. History is riveted by examples of brilliance gone awry... Of charisma leading people to give up all their belongings and ultimately their lives for causes that were short-sided and finite...   Of people groups being ethnically cleansed and poverty being perpetuated... And maybe even to the national debt increasing:)  Whenever it becomes more about us and less about others the line between just becomes thinner.  Our agenda, our intelligence, our vision, our wealth, our political bent, our __________ (you fill the blank) must be connected to morals, to ethics, to common decency, to respect for all humanity, sometimes even to restraint.  Or, we have crossed the line between what is intended to what is not intended.