NPD

I know several people who have this disorder.

Thinking of the behaviour of several people I know, I googled "narcissistic personality disorder" (NPD) and lo-and-behold, a few relatives, friends and acquaintances seemed to fit right in.  Here's what google says:

Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental health condition in which people have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance. They need and seek too much attention and want people to admire them. People with this disorder may lack the ability to understand or care about the feelings of others. In a nutshell, these people have.....

• Sense of self-importance; 
• Preoccupation with power, beauty, or success; 
• Entitled;
• Can only be around people who are important or special; 
• Interpersonally exploitative for their own gain;
• Arrogant;
• Lack empathy; and 
• Must be admired. 

It's all about me.

At the top of my personal list are B's ex-wife -- someone thankfully with whom we do not ever have to have anything more to do. (His daughter is right up there too). In the larger world, Trump, of course, is at the top of the heap of the living embodiments of this disorder, but Trudeau is on a par and so is Chrystia Freeland. A few others come to mind, in no particular order:

• Hitler
• De Gaulle
• Richard Nixon
• Tom Cruise
• Angelina Jolie
• Doug Ford
• Stalin
• Mark Zuckerberg
• George Patton
• Meghan Markle
• Napoleon
• Henry VIII
• Steve Jobs
• Michelle Obama
• Lyndon Johnson
• Madonna
• Alexander the Great
• Hilary Clinton
• Michael Jackson
• Julie Payette
• Adrienne Clarkson
• Paul Tellier
• General A.G.L. McNaughton
• General Montgomery
• All the Kardashians....and on and on

As far as Canadian Generals are concerned, General Wayne Eyre doesn't have it and neither do Rick Hillier nor John de Chastelain.  That's remarkable, considering how senior and competent they are.

Consider your own circle of friends and acquaintances.  How many of them fit into this category?  I bet lots!  When you have to interact with them, it's useful to recognize them for what they are, or even drop them if they cause too much grief.  I know, you can never change their minds about anything; they are closed forever.  Time to cull the herd again.