As one of my precious Hospice patients was saying goodbye to earth recently, I told her that it was ok to let go and that God was waiting for her when she was ready. On one of the last days of her life, she looked at me in her nearly catatonic state and clearly spoke: \u201cNance, I had a dream that we need to pray for President Trump.\u201d Since this beautiful patient and I had shared so many political talks together, I jokingly asked, \u201cAre we praying to ask for help for Prez Trump? Or are we praying that his term ends soon?\u201d I couldn\u2019t understand her response, but I saw the slight smile cross her face in a knowingly way. It touched me that today\u2019s political world was on her mind \u2013 even in her last moments on this earth. And I found it amazing that compassionate people still care about the world around them \u2013 even as they are moving on to their Heavenly home.<\/p>\n
When you read Down the Rabbit Hole of Leadership<\/em>, there is no question as to where this author stands on the subject of Trump. Wow, Kets de Vries is very pointed and direct \u2013 no misunderstandings with this author. In his \u2018gentle\u2019 statement about Trump, Kets de Vries was pretty clear with regards to his feelings about those who voted for Trump as well: \u201cIn voting for a demagogue like Trump, people have demonstrated their ignorance of the consequence of putting their trust in perverse ideologies and autocratic leaders.\u201d The author goes on to share that \u201cit is easy to slip down a rabbit hole\u201d when we don\u2019t learn from our past. It was interesting to learn his perspective on how \u201cwe are not going to wake up from a bad dream (like Alice in Wonderland) and discover that everything is \u201cnothing but a pack of cards.\u201d[1] \u00a0 <\/a>We’re not in Kansas anymore!<\/p>\n Kets de Vries is very direct and pointed in his writing. I was intrigued with the author\u2019s focus on psychopathology within the business world. He shares about the fact of the endless ways that people can make a mess of things in the business world. This includes digital addiction, untruths, and mental issues, according to Kets de Vries.[2]<\/a> Other dysfunctional behaviors add additional messes to the mix. The author notes: \u201ceveryone has gone mad, throwing up all kinds of obstacles in the search for truth.\u201d Yet, as Christians, we know that truth is as close as the Bible for us!<\/p>\n The comparison to Alice in Wonderland made Down the Rabbit Hole<\/em> of Leadership<\/em> even more intriguing. The author explores how understanding what is happening around us has become more difficult than ever in the Age of Trump. <\/em>His observation that \u201cthe ability of people in powerful positions to project and displace their personal neuroses into the public sphere\u201d is spot on! In Andy Andrews book, How Do You Kill 11 Million People, <\/em>he reflects on the power of the Nazi\u2019s during the holocaust. His answer to book title\u2019s question is that YOU<\/strong> LIE TO THEM<\/strong>![3]<\/a> It\u2019s truly that simple – and also that complicated. Through the lies of Hitler, 11 million people lost their lives. I only pray that history does not repeat itself and that the eyes of people are opened to the lies that surround us in the United States and around the world. May God\u2019s touch be on the earth as we journey into the future and may His clarity open our eyes to the injustices within our world today.<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Kets de Vries, Manfred F. R. Down the Rabbit Hole of Leadership: Leadership Pathology in Everyday Life.<\/em> London: Palgrave MacMillan, 2019.<\/p>\n