the divine statesman

"I sacrifice myself. If God wills it, he will place me among the true men and martyrs"

saddam hussein (from his prison cell)

the above was written by a soon-to-be executed former dictator fallen on hard times. it struck me as a very distinct and infinitely interesting take on life and death. by invoking a higher power, he attempts to justify his past actions to himself and also to others who are still loyal to his cause. i wonder if he really believes it and if he does what kind of thought process he has gone through to arrive at that belief.

if the western media is to be trusted, this man has been party to untold atrocities to the very people that he vowed to protect as leader of his country. lets assume for a moment that the reports are true. how does he look himself in the mirror every morning and how does he sleep at night? he must have stripped the last bit of conscience off his soul in order to do what he does. is he capable of guilt? if not how and why did he lose it? these are some questions that he will likely take to his final resting place.

when he realizes that his end is nigh, he absolves himself of all responsibility by dressing his actions in a coat of divinity. he becomes the victim, a selfless being sent down for the betterment of humankind. is it the last gasp of a political career on life support or the true mindset of a deluded man?

on the other hand if the media has been knowingly vilifying him for their own nefarious ends, and he is indeed the man that he proclaims himself to be, are we losing one of the real heroes of the 21st century? either way he has booked his place in history and will be remembered for as long as there are politicians in this world. he will forever be used as a yardstick by which to measure the integrity and stance of any aspiring statesmen.

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