Once again the headlines are telling us about a person who came from a good family, went to all the right schools, rose through the political ranks became the high profile Governor of New York and then did something really stupid.

Something inexplicable within the context of the life he appeared to be living.

Which brings up an interesting point: The life he appeared to be living was obviously not reflecting who he really was. How could a man of his intelligence set up and participate in a situation which would destroy him?

There are a number of people who go through the motions of living a life while their real intent is well hidden. (At least they think it’s hidden) No matter how successful their day-to-day life appears to be they actually hate themselves and hate the life they are living. These people will always set themselves up for destruction… by their own hand.

Self destructive people are a fact of life and socio-economic status provides no safety net. You can just as easily destroy your life whether you are a Governor or a homeless person with an addiction. The end result is the same. Your world collapses around you because of your behavior.

There isn’t enough time in this blog to examine the psychological reasons for this kind of behavior but one thing must be made clear:

Self destruction is always the result of living a lie.

It’s the result of your inner-world being out of sync with your outer-world. It is always sad to see obvious self destructive behavior take it’s toll. The question is, at what point do you cross over into acting out your secret inner-life? In the case of the Governor, his addiction became overpowering. How else can you explain the series of missteps he took? He wanted to be caught. His life must have been in chaos for quite a while.

It’s unfortunate that his out of control activities has come home to roost. What a powerful, dramatic lesson this man had to learn. Whatever becomes of his public career, I hope he is able to find his true self and live the rest of his life as a much greater man than the direction his life was taking him.

He could be a great inspiration for others who may yet avoid his downfall.

-Bob Baran