Do You Know An Emperor

Author: Byron Pulsifer

In every walk of life, there are those who stand out from the rest of the crowd. These are people who seem to draw people to them like magnets draw metal, or there are those who a lot of people would like to get to know, or be friends with. Then, there are those who see themselves as emperors – the type of person who personifies arrogance, and self-aggrandizing or conceited behavior.

An Unfortunate Encounter
A few short years ago, I was unfortunate enough to become acquainted with such an emperor, one who seemed to portray concern, and one who offered themselves to others as a person to depend on when times were rough.

In this particular situation, there was a horrible crisis within the family where a vibrant, young woman was in trouble – trouble that saw her scream out for love, understanding and desperately in need of a solution in her disturbed life. The so-called friend, the one who portrayed a real sense of caring and commitment was called upon to help. But, what happened next was both a terrible let down and a blessing in disguise.

True Colors Shown
Instead of living up to what he portrayed outwardly, he let his true characteristics stick out like a dirty old rock within a field of gleaming diamonds. He shunned his responsibility by totally ignoring her in her time of desperate need, and nonchalantly turned his back of her. He didn’t help, he didn’t respond, he didn’t follow through on any pretended commitments.

The short story here is that several others had to step up to help – the people who did not have to but simply did so that there was no void. The blessing in all of this was that the conceited one, the pretender, the self-assigned emperor was found out – true colors showed; no more hiding behind the mask of humanity.

Don’t Pretend
For those of us who know emperors, one thing is for sure; you can’t count on them and, at the same time, feel sorry for them. No one is perfect for sure, but then most of us don’t pretend to be something we are not. On the other hand, it should be recognized that the so-called emperors we know, all have a need of their own – they need to be loved, respected because they have a very poor self-esteem. Does this make up for their lack of being real -no. But, at least it gives us a bit of understanding about their behavior.

In the end, it is better to be what you are, not what you think you are. If you want to be something more than you are right now, be genuine, be real, and never lose sight of what being human is all about.

Inspirational Quotes To Consider
“The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.” Buddha

“The best advice I can give to you is to be true to yourself and live your dreams.” David DeNotaris

“Promise to stay true to yourself. Continue to ask yourself who you are without the conditioning and without the mask. Promise to live your truth every day.”Vishnu

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