*Note - I need a different word for what I call "paranoia". I'm referring to my own state of mind during the manic phase of bipolar illness, which is a psychosis accompanied by "paranoia". In this case, "paranoia" refers to the conviction that I am at the centre of the Universe - of cosmic importance.  Of course, a healthy brain creates the illusion that there is a "self" at the centre of the universe -- a "mind." But in a normal mind, this is more or less "zero" in a coordinate system

THE FOLLOWING IS ABOUT TRUMP AND MUSK -CONVERSATION WITH AN AI CHATBOT.

what is the name for a condition where I see myself as the most  important person in the universe?

AI: The condition you are describing is known as narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). It is characterized by an extreme sense of self-importance, a need for excessive admiration, a lack of empathy towards others, and a constant need for attention and validation. People with NPD typically have an inflated sense of their own abilities and achievements and may have a tendency to exploit others for their own gain.

What if this is combined with a frantic sense of urgency and danger

AI:If the situation is combined with a frantic sense of urgency and danger, it can heighten the level of intensity and potential consequences. Here are a few possible scenarios:

1. Increased risk-taking behavior: The urgency and perceived danger may drive individuals to take greater risks to achieve their goals or escape the situation. This can lead to reckless decision-making and potential harm.

2. Heightened stress and anxiety: The frantic sense of urgency and danger can contribute to elevated levels of stress and anxiety. The heightened emotional state may impair individuals' ability to think clearly, make rational judgments, or assess the situation accurately.

3. Breakdown of communication and coordination: In high-pressure situations, the sense of urgency can disrupt effective communication and coordination among individuals. Miscommunication, misunderstandings, or lack of coordination can hinder problem-solving and decision-making efforts, further exacerbating the danger.

4. Increased potential for accidents or errors: The combination of urgency and danger can cause individuals to be more prone to accidents, mistakes, or oversights. The rush to act or escape the danger might compromise attention to critical details or safety precautions, leading to unintended consequences.

5. Physical and emotional strain: The constant sense of urgency and danger can place considerable strain on individuals, both physically and emotionally. Fatigue, exhaustion, and psychological distress can accumulate, impairing performance and exacerbating the potential risks.

In summary, when combined with a frantic sense of urgency and danger, the situation becomes more intense, and the potential consequences can be more severe. It becomes crucial to prioritize clear thinking, effective communication, and a careful approach to minimize risks and ensure the safety of individuals involved.

what if the individual feels that he is the only one who can save the world?

AI: If an individual truly believes that they are the only one who can save the world, it is important to approach their perspective with empathy and understanding. Here are a few possible considerations:

1. Evaluate the rationale: Encourage the individual to articulate why they believe they are the sole savior of the world. Is it based on personal skills, knowledge, or experiences? Understanding their motivation and reasoning can shed light on their perception.

2. Consider limitations: Help them acknowledge the limitations of a single person working alone. It is important to emphasize the power of collaboration and how collective efforts can often achieve more than individual endeavors.

3. Facilitate constructive action: Encourage the individual to channel their enthusiasm and passion for making a difference into concrete actions. They could join existing organizations, start their own initiatives, or network with like-minded individuals to create a wider impact.

4. Promote realistic expectations: Assisting the individual in understanding the scale of global issues and the collective effort required to address them is crucial. Encourage them to set attainable goals and recognize that sustainable change often takes time and collaboration.

5. Foster collaboration: Instead of attempting to deter the individual's determination, help them identify and connect with other passionate individuals or established organizations working on similar causes. Collaboration can amplify their impact and provide a support system.

6. Encourage self-care: Carefully emphasize the importance of self-care and avoiding burnout. Promote the idea that personal well-being is necessary to effectively serve the greater good. Additionally, remind them that sharing responsibility and learning from others' expertise can enhance their effectiveness.

Remember, addressing their perspective with empathy is crucial, as it reflects their aspirations to make a positive difference in the world.

This essay should start with a discussion of that fundamental illusion.

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IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD

Like it or not, this is the unavoidable truth. The question is, what do you do with it?

Buddhists think that all suffering can be avoided with the proper mental attitude. This obviously goes too far. Earthquakes, floods and famines can't be wished away. Our experience of them is "mental", but they are happening in the "outside world", however dimly we perceive this world.

Many modern entrepreneurs like Trump, Jobs and Musk have a "reality distortion field." Anyone who challenges their fantasies will wind up fired. I have personally been fired three times for challenging my boss's version of reality. I call it my "Cassandra complex" - the ability to see disaster coming long before anyone else does.

It seems to me that such "distortion fields" are common in business. The giveaway is unrealistic deadlines and a manufactured sense of urgency. This sense of urgency is a symptom of mania, particularly evident in Musk, who thinks he needs to save the world by getting to Mars (a paranoid fantasy), and it's all super-urgent. All of his projects are tainted by this type of paranoia. Those who question him are instantly shown the door. He leaves behind a trail of catastrophe in the world we inhabit, such as in every aspect of the Twitter buy-out.

We can add Putin to this list, who seems to live in a distorted version of history, where the Nazis are again invading Russia. In self-defence, he needs to capture Ukraine (and a few other territories we have forgotten about). 

This problem is not confined to the rich and powerful. Most people believe in some version of "God," unbothered by the fact that 1,000 versions exist without the slightest shred of evidence or internal consistency. But God is quite real to these folks. Been there, done that.

WHAT ABOUT JESUS?

If we assume that Jesus was an actual person but that what he believed about the world was false (God, Adam, the coming messiah), we wonder if He believed himself to be the messiah. If so, in His mind, He would be the "King of the Jews" - something that got him killed.

Is Christianity based on the paranoid fantasies of a prophet in ancient Israel? We see the same pattern: an end-of-the-world fantasy and a belief that something needs to be done urgently. That "something" needs to be done by me. It all depends on me, which makes me of cosmic importance.

A Close-Up View of the Trump Psychosis

(Based on my Amazon review of Bolton's "Room Where It Happened")

This is a dreadful piece of writing, devoted mainly to advocating the Bolton view of world affairs that gave us the Gulf War and all that followed.

Bolton characterizes Trump as ignorant, incompetent, and ill-suited to the job. This is the way Bolton characterizes all his opponents, which tends to have the effect of pulling his punches against the ignoramus in chief.

He does, however, provide a consistent close-up of Trump's pattern of behavior, confirming dozens of other sources. It particularly shines a light on Trump's delusion that he's a great negotiator and beloved of such arch criminals as Kim Jung-Un and Vladimir Putin. He has no insight into the motives of others, seeing these relationships only in terms of his own grand self-image. The result continues to be a catastrophe on every front. This includes facilitating North Korea's dream of becoming a full-fledged nuclear power.

Trump Psychosis

I have refrained from writing about the perfect storm South of the Border since most people will not find anything new in what I have to say and others (American Republicans) will simply deny whatever I say for reasons that inspire this essay.

There are three mental health issues that center around Trump but cannot be "blamed" on him. Not entirely.

But let me start with Trump himself. He is plainly a malignant narcissist - a condition that has progressed into psychosis as he is backed into a corner by the self-evident gap between the world he lives in and the world the rest of us are stuck with. Building an alternate universe is the very definition of psychosis, but psychosis is a symptom not a "disease". It is linked to all kinds of underlying conditions. Nor is "psychosis" the end of the story with Trump. For example, he exhibits an astonishing willingness to sacrifice thousands of lives to serve his purpose (whatever that is). This puts him in the company of such twisted personalities as Stalin, Mao Tse Tung, and Pol Pot. You really need a new name for these guys. There is one aspect of Trump's personality that is particularly dangerous. For lack of a better term, we can call it "charisma". It's the showman - the P. T. Barnum. Trump has built his public persona as a show business personality - a "talking head" - and he's good at it. He is very good at attracting attention to himself and instinctively goes for "outrage". He knows that flat-out bullshit and outright denial of the facts will get him attention. He loves our outrage. We hate him but we still watch.

The second issue has to do with Trump supporters, who also exhibit an easily recognized psychosis, namely a persistent denial of reality along with a fierce defense of this delusional world. They talk in conspiracy theories, bumper stickers, and catchphrases, moving rapidly from one to another to avoid getting into specifics. There are too many to list but "the Russia Hoax" is one. This is a straightforward denial of widely known facts and a simple mouthing of what Trump claims. They feel that Trump was "framed", not impeached and he was proclaimed innocent, proving all the charges were a Democratic plot. What ties all this together is a shared "alternate fact" universe that is deeply held and aggressively defended. There is no way to talk to these people and that's the way they like it. It's the inappropriate emotional intensity that marks this as psychosis and not a "widely held opinion".

Of course, it is dangerous for the President of the United States to be clinically insane and even more dangerous that a significant portion of Americans shares a psychosis of their own. It's frightening to see followers of a political party swallow the whole package, for example, defending imprisonment of babies in diapers to prove the depth of their faith.

The third problem kept me awake the night Trump was declared President and it persists. That is the panic among sane Americans as Trump's invincibility and ever-expanding criminality grow. While perfectly justified, this tends to take the spotlight off of truly scary issues that are only indirectly connected with Trump, if at all. It is not all about Trump! Any of the following issues would be on the front page if not for Trump's daily clown show.

• Nuclear power plants and the nuclear arsenal are, like hospitals, understaffed as large numbers of irreplaceable people don't report to work or die. If we have learned anything from the past it is that nuclear power plants ride a razor's edge. Minute by minute expert attention is required.  Of course, Trump has torn up the "Open Sky" treaty to remove the best defense we have against accidental nuclear war.
• By muzzling the CDC, Trump has not only crippled Amerian response to the virus but crippled the ability of the world to fight catastrophe. The CDC has lead the fight against pandemic for decades. We know how to fight these things, but by pushing aside the CDC, Trump has guaranteed millions of needless deaths worldwide.
• For most of the population of Earth, starvation not the infection is the issue. By obsessing over state by state epicurves and lifting of restrictions, we ignore places that at completely defenseless against what amounts to a modern plague.
• Happy talk from politicians in general papers over the need to prepare for a world-wide depression while the virus becomes "endemic". There is no evidence that we will mount the kind of worldwide defense against the virus that will make it "go away". We are still fighting polio even though we have a vaccine.
• Obsolete monetary theories, especially among American conservatives and the European Union threaten to trap the economy in a depression for decades. We can't "borrow our way out of this". Worry about how we can "afford" to keep people from starving to death mirrors Canadian politics that literally starved people to death until we were "saved" by World War II.

I could list a dozen more. The key is to follow the news on the BBC rather than American outlets. Of course, BBC spends 3/4 of its time on British scandals and puff pieces, but it does make an attempt to cover worldwide news. 

-- Postscript January 2021 (Trump defeated)

The New York Times provided an overview of Q-Anon and the impact of Trump's loss. My reaction was to remark at how individual Q-Anon believers go through an experience that looks very similar to my own experience with mania shading into psychosis. Symptoms of this disorder include:

• Hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not there)
• Delusions (false beliefs)
• Incoherent or nonsense speech.
• Inappropriate behaviors for the situation.
• Depression.
• Anxiety.
• Sleep problems.
• Social withdrawal.

The interviews in the above piece provide insight into some of the less-obvious symptoms, including social withdrawal, evident in Trump supporters in general (the "skunk at the picnic" effect). We also see depression and anxiety in some of the Q's facing the total collapse of the Q view of history. The attack on the Capital on January 6 must certainly be classified as "inappropriate behaviors for the situation".

Whatever your definitions,  millions of Americans take Q-Anon seriously enough to engage in violent, illegal behavior believing in the righteousness of their cause. If we characterize this frame of mind as "crazy", even though millions suffer from it, we must think about what we mean by "crazy". Just exactly when do we become worried about bizarre beliefs when believers start to act like this, severing ties with friends and family who express concern about the mental health of believers?

P.S. Scientific American article on the subject