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From Ahab

The Daily Dick: A Study in Leadership


From Ahab: "Captain Ahab stood erect, looking straight out beyond the ship’s ever-pitching prow. There was an infinity of firmest fortitude, a determinate, unsurrenderable wilfulness, in the fixed and fearless, forward dedication of that glance. Not a word he spoke; nor did his officers say aught to him; though by all their minutest gestures and expressions, they plainly showed the uneasy, if not painful, consciousness of being under a troubled master-eye."

 

Study: I've seen the men who support Trump display this same 'uneasy,' painful awareness of just who they are supporting. This description of Ahab standing upright in spite of the turmoil surrounding him is appropriate when describing Trump as well. I was struck by the coincidence in the descriptions of both the fictional and the real monomaniacal leader - both exhibit an "unsurrenderable willfulness" toward a future that is clearly symbolized by the roiling sea beneath them. Yet even though the stance of the leader is apparent, no one around them says a word. Not one of the men, dares to speak out. In the fictional world of Moby-Dick, not speaking out leads to a terrible conclusion. Will anyone in this very real world of ours dare to challenge our own 'troubled' leader who has the power to steer our ship to a terrible conclusion?

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