Kort Explores conundrums of the human condition

I recently watched a documentary series titled "Hitler's Bodyguard". It detailed the 40+ attempts to assassinate Hitler over 25 years, and the often unlikely circumstances that allowed him to survive in spite of the large numbers of people trying to kill him.

It also provided an interesting insight into why it is so difficult for rational society to deal with sociopathicirrationality.

Most of those trying to kill Hitler came to the decision reluctantly, and then approached the task rationally andlogically. They tended to make elaborate plans and preparations based on misguided assumptions of rationality, and were invariably frustrated by the unexpected irrationality of their target.

Not surprisingly, Hitler had good reason to be paranoid - proving that just because you think everybody is out toget you doesn't mean they aren't. Ironically, the dangers he obsessed most about were rarely actual sources of real danger.He had a tendency to project his own inner demons onto his adversaries, and put his greatest efforts into protecting himself from the kinds of crimes he had committed against others. Put another way, he only became obsessed with a potential way someone might try to kill him after he (or more accurately his followers) had used that method against someone else.

Ironically, efforts to defend against what appeared to be the most obvious and logical source of danger saved himfrom the assassination attempt that came closest to succeeding - an attempt that came from the source he considered least likely. The bombs the Allies developed for use against the U-boat pens on the coast of France could have penetrated the depth ofconcrete protecting Hitler's window-less fortified bunker in Poland.

While construction was underway to increase the protection of his usual massively reinforced bunker from aerial attack, Hitler impulsively moved a meeting with his military staff to a flimsy wooden building nearby. He even demanded the windows be opened due to the summer heat. The flimsy construction of the building allowed most of the force of the bomb to escape out of the conference room, which made it possible for most of the occupants to survive. The stronger construction of the bunker where the meeting was expected to take place would have contained the blast and killed everyone the room.

The irony is that while it might seem logical that the Allies would be among the most motivated to try to kill Hitler, they were actually intentionally avoiding causing him harm. By that point in the war the last thing the Allies wanted to do was kill Hitler - his irrational interference in the tactics of his generals made him more valuable to the Allies alive than dead. So the wasted efforts to protect against a non-existent threat coincidentally protected him against a very real threat from an unexpected direction - from inside his own general staff.

While Hitler had multiple layers of security, it was most often luck and impulsive behavior that saved him. His tendency to abandon his official schedule on a moment's notice drove his security forces crazy, but also repeatedly frustratedthe careful planning of assassins. Being an insane mass murderer provided both the reason to want to kill him and the reasonit was so difficult to accomplish. Those trying to kill him were too rational and logical in their efforts to put an end to his crimes against humanity, while Hitler managed to kill over 50 million in large measure by being irrational and unpredictable.

Hitler's rise to power and ability to do so much harm to rational society was largely due to the unwillingness ofrational people to accept his real nature and intentions. I see disturbing parallels in the increasingly irrational Americanelections. The latest election was a distressing example of the triumph of wishful thinking and wanting to believe over rationality.

Obama's entire campaign was based on encouraging voters to see him as whatever they wanted to see, not as the manwho was actually there. Some of the believer's in Hitler's false facade refused to give up their delusions even as the real man destroyed their world around them. America is about to find out who Obama really is, and his followers are already scrambling to find excuses for why the reality of his actions conflicts with their fantasies.

It's possible that the real Obama will turn out to be an enlightened statesman who will earn a place of honor in America's history for his exceptional service to the nation. It's exceptionally rare for those who seek political power while concealing their true nature to turn out to be "good guys", but it isn't necessarily impossible.