Everywhere stars rise to power as charismatic demagogues and risk-takers, but these very qualities breed in them an implacable desire to control all power and push away all they see as worthy replacements.
Somewhere one had come across a story about ageing penguins. It said that a sleepy penguin may float atop the water for a while and then sink slowly to the floor of the sea. Then he rises again to the surface only to fall asleep again and then again revive himself in the same fashion. He thus enjoys a sort of perpetual rest in motion. It is embarrassing to watch ageing world leaders sinking similarly shaking themselves awake after suddenly touching the bottom, then rise to the surface to declare in stentorian tones that they will fight the good fight yet.
After touching rock bottom in the first Presidential debate in an assertive and mostly error-free speech, US President Jo Biden, at NATO, suddenly rose to the surface and pledged strong support to Ukraine till Mother Russia was brought to her knees. Yet pressures on him from those who witnessed him falter earlier are mounting to step away from the Presidential race.
Two high-profile Democrats, former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, a long-time ally, and actor George Clooney, a major fund-raiser for the Democrats, have just joined the ranks of those gently and respectfully urging the President to quit the race while there is time. At the time of the writing of this column, the President is firm about holding on to his candidacy even though he addressed Zelenski as Putin before correcting himself.
Mahabharat (Adi Parva) carries a bone-chillingly precise tale about the unreasonable power hunger of ageing men. King Yayati, son of Nahush, rose to be a powerful king and ruled for a long time. When the time came for him to make way for his successor, however, he refused, saying he had not yet lived life to the fullest. He asked his five sons if one of them would transfer their youth to him so he could live on and enjoy his kingdom and his women. Only one son Puru volunteered and Yayati was rejuvenated while Puru turned old and feeble. Eventually watching him bide his time quietly for a thousand years, Yayati handed back the son both his youth and the throne saying, “One cannot go on like this.”
The accursed Yayati syndrome still surfaces in politics, films and performing arts. Everywhere stars rise to power as charismatic demagogues and risk-takers, but these very qualities breed in them an implacable desire to control all power and push away all they see as worthy replacements. It does not matter whether the nation is democratic or not….
https://thewire.in/world/yayati-syndrome-and-the-unreasonable-power-hunger-of-ageing-men
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