UPDATED for 2021. I was watching ABC World News Tonight back in 2015. At the end of the program, ABC announced its “Person of the Week” Col. Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian astronaut to walk in space.
Col. Hadfield is famous for his magnificent cover of the classic David Bowie song, Space Oddity, recorded while he was the commander of the International Space Station.
The video has more than 50 million YouTube views. Hadfield’s Space Oddity is absolutely breathtaking. It’s such a tribute to the capacity of the human race to reach beyond our grounded existence that it brought tears to my eyes.
I watched it again today. It still brought tears to my eyes.
The video was just one of many Hadfield made from space. He spent 15 months at the International Space Station, from December 2012 through March 2013. While in space, he was a prolific social media user, with a blog on Tumblr and a million Twitter followers.
Hadfield retired after the space station mission and wrote a book called An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth. One reviewer wrote, “Hadfield’s story oozes the kind of stereotypical Canadian basic decency and humbleness that we Canucks just eat up.”
Hadfield came out with another video called An Astronaut’s Guide to Optimism.
Person of the Week
Col. Chris Hadfield seems like a man of honesty, integrity and empathy. I’m sure that’s why ABC selected him as the Person of the Week.
Astronaut Chris Hadfield shares his 2015 ‘Guide to Optimism,’ on ABCnews.go.com.
During his interview for the ABC story, Hadfield said:
“Everybody wants a better world for their kids, a little bit of grace, and a chance to lead a good life.”
“Life is all about trying to get myself ready for the things that might happen, so I can appreciate them more.”
“The onus is always on each of us. How am I going to change myself this year? Or what am I going to deliberately learn this year, so I can do a better job? That’s what actually changes the world.”
His words reflect optimism about the human condition. ABC’s treatment of his message was inspiring. Watching the segment, I felt warm and hopeful.
There are exceptions
This type of media story, however, should come with a disclaimer:
Although this message emphasizes the best of humanity, please be advised that there are exceptions. Some people, although they can appear to show love and concern, are primarily interested in exploitation.
Regardless of the warm and fuzzy media messages, millions of sociopaths live among us. These people don’t care about benefiting the human race. They only care about benefiting themselves.
So here are additional themes that we all need to understand, which are, unfortunately, contrary to the words of Col. Chris Hadfield:
Not everybody wants a better world for their kids, a little bit of grace, and a chance to lead a good life. Some people want to take everything they can get.
For sociopaths, life is not about trying to get ready for the things that might happen, so they can appreciate them more. Life is about amassing power and control.
From the perspective of a sociopath, your role is to provide the sociopath what he or she wants. Sociopaths see no reason to change themselves. But they will learn, so they can do a better job of exploiting you. If the world changes, their goal is to figure out how to take advantage of it to get even more of what they want.
People with personality disorders are fundamentally different from the rest of us. They have no ability to love. They are motivated only by power and control.
Unfortunately, the media do not explain them properly.
Scope of the problem
The number of disordered individuals living among us is massive.
Lovefraud uses the word “sociopath” to describe people who live their lives by exploiting others. Clinically, they would be diagnosed as having antisocial, narcissistic, or borderline personality disorder, or as psychopaths.
Experts estimate 1% to 4% of the population have antisocial personality disorder, 2% have borderline personality disorder, more than 1% have histrionic personality disorder and as many as 6% have narcissistic personality disorder.
Add them up, and about 12% of the population are disordered. That’s 37 million people in the United States.
But there are no media messages warning us to watch out for these exceptions to the goodness of humanity. Instead, we’re told that we’re all basically the same, everyone has some good inside and we all just want to be loved.
So we are clueless about the human predators living among us. Until we find ourselves targeted — and then it’s too late.
Lovefraud originally posted this article on January 5, 2015.
Lies and manipulation from a disordered wife and mother-in-law
…and what’s really interesting is a lot of them masquerade as these wonderful people. I now know to be wary of all the wonderful people out there. Who’d have thought being what seems like a good person- might be just another red flag…
Stelladee – I am not at all saying that Col. Chris Hadfield is disordered. He most likely is a fabulous man.
I am saying that as wonderful and inspirational as his words are, they are not the complete truth. Yes, most of us do want to lead a good life and improve so we can accomplish great things in the world.
But there is a segment of population – about 12% – who do not feel the same way.
Unfortunately, the media do not tell us about the exceptions – the human predators. And that’s one reason why we get in trouble – we don’t know that the sociopaths are out there.
Sorry Donna- that’s not what I meant to say. I just meant that to me- niceness is something to be a little wary of- for me- now. My sweet daughter thought that ol’ Bill Cosby was the best man on the planet.. and now we’re not so sure… My apologies for casting any doubt on the good people out there. I really do appreciate genuine goodness- and I guess the true test of goodness is when you stick around and find out it’s for real.
The first vision that popped into my head as I read this was of a space station or Mars colony populated entirely by sociopaths. Would it thrive or implode? What would a sociopathic society look like a few generations down the road? Interesting, scary thoughts.
NoMoreWool – LOL – now that Space Travel is becoming a private enterprise, can we please charter a rocket to send them?
Make it seem profitable and give them rock star status and they will charter themselves…
“How am I going to change myself this year? Or what am I going to deliberately learn this year, so I can do a better job? That’s what actually changes the world.” This to me is one of the most defining factor that you are NOT dealing with a sociopath. Normal people want to grow emotionally
“How am I going to change myself this year? Or what am I going to deliberately learn this year, so I can do a better job? That’s what actually changes the world.” This to me is one of the most defining factor that you are NOT dealing with a sociopath. Normal people want to grow emotionally & mentally and they want to make sure they are good to others & the planet. Like you stated a sociopath is so focused on what can I get out of this person to better my life.
I would often ponder why my ex never grew emotional/mentally during the marriage especially towards the end of my marriage before I escaped for good. My ex was always buying some big toy (with other peoples money), always focused on getting a large following to praise him and put him on a pedestal never thinking he needed to grown as a person (really he needed to grow up).
Someone who is trying to improve themselves in whole knows that they are not perfect and wants to improve all aspect of their life where as a sociopath thinks he is perfect and does not need to change.
I think our society has changed the last 10 years with their thinking some for the good but now the sociopath are protect by this new attitude of “giving everyone a second chance and people are different” mentality. The sociopaths are eating this up because now they can come out of their hiding and society keeps giving them chance after chance (for me I gave my ex h 10,000 chances & forgiveness). Not sure if the Oprah mentality has changed our society thinking. For me, I am back to listen to my gut and no second chances with someone new if my gut tells me not to.
I was thinking back to my childhood in the 70’s kids actually used the word “psycho” to describe a kid that did not fit in and had behavior issues….wonder what percentage was true in them describing the odd kid as a “psycho”. Now a days it’s not politically correct to say “I think that person is strange” or “something is wrong with that person” or possibly more accurate “he/she is a psychopath” so the word psychopath has slipped from everyday language…again the sociopaths are loving this political correctness but in the long run the good people are literally walking into the web of deception with giving these evil people the same common decency as a good person.
I wonder if society will give Cosby a second chance once his PR team kicks into high gear?
During the breakaway, I have noticed the sociopath in my life engage in some first-class two year old behavior – including stamping feet, flapping arms and whining “but, but…” which isn’t as comical as you would think to observe in a grown person. I have even listened to the sociopath go on about how amazing it is that they are always right and everyone else is wrong, how can the rest of the world be so wrong so often.
sorry this was posted twice some times the Edit function deletes the bulk of the text so I posted the full text again.
This is so on point and yes people should be advised. My ex husband which is a sociopath uses social media to GET MORE FOLLOWERS, DONATIONS FOR HIM, FOR PEOPLE TO GLORIFY HIM. I have in the past and seen his videos on youtube and his personal website and it is so sad because he puts a front. He does come off as such a nice person with so much knowledge of the bible but his main concern is to exploit people, gain followers and get money from them, I am sure he also craves the attention and the comments of how great he is. I know him personally the stories he tell are mostly lies, he is stingy and very not who he portrays on the web. He is a con artist. Those that interest him and he can exploit will receive his undivided attention and will be extra nice and fake to them. This is so on point! I wish people would be less trusting and more concerned of who this person is. If they only knew he was a creep who does not even care about his own mother
I can only speak about what I have seen with my own two eyes, the lies and tricks to get good people to donate all their money to him so he can travel use women and be admired. These poor people do not know what a con artist he is, he is a fake and a liar. I would want to post comments on his website and contact another minister about him but I just left it alone and decided to work on my recovery. In due time these people will realize hopefully not too late he is a con artist. I would compare them to cult like people but more subtle so that no one suspects a thing!
Some people are good, not perfect but at least mostly good. Some sociopathic preachers only use the web to exploit people and they look so innocent doing it. They do good tings only when the camera is rolling, once it is off, they are heartless and you would never known it. I HAVE SEEN IT!
dear Donna,
regarding people in the public eye that we do not really know at all:
I am worried because I see some pretty big screaming narcissistic red flags being flown by our current president, and I am seriously having a difficult time believing anything he says because I hear him only telling ‘part’ of a story, and as I am aware of the information he is conveniently leaving out of his pathetic manipulating speeches, I feel like America is in grave danger from a sociopathic leader. How do we go No Contact with a sociopathic leader? Is this world going to the dogs?
jenni marie,
The world will only get worst and full of sociopaths (not just America) so we must embrace ourselves and stop hoping for a ‘savior’.
You’re having a difficult time believing anything your president says ‘coz he’s programmed (or trained) to behave this way..and if there would be anyone to resist this ‘training’ which the cunning NWO enforces upon, he’d probably ‘be dealt with’…..
Most genuine natured presidents did not make it as presidents for too long..
The only thing we can do is make our own ‘safe cocoon’ and be very wise in trusting people around us. We tend to forget that people should earn our trust-not demand it. And surely, we must work on our self awareness and trusting our gifted female instict.
Jenni marie, I see the same thing. I find it interesting that the press has turned on him when he started having reporters arrested when they refused to expose their source on a story on issues the the WH was involved in and the press was reporting on. Things come out here and there about his wife and her temper but I am starting to believe that she is being pushed to her limit with not only her husband narcissistic behavior but I am guessing she might be surrounded with narcissist in DC and in the WH. If you look at pictures of them say on vacation he is never engaged with his wife but it you watch him with his daughters especially the older daughter he is always engaged…could it be the oldest is his “golden child”??
But he is better then the sociopath narcissist Clinton who can talk his way out of anything…how our country puts him on a pedestal still after what he did in the WH to a young naive intern and all the other woman he manipulated is beyond me. JFK same thing and Roosevelt cheated on his wife/treated her poorly and his wife wanted a divorce when he was President, Roosevelt refused so she had to live in the WH with him and his mistress! But now the history books site how great a man Roosevelt was…what a joke…all the brain washing we are subjected to as kids to set us up as adults to believe all the bs out of a Presidents mouth.
How do you go “no contact” with a leader? for me I do not engage in politics now that I have been educated as I think most if not all of our leaders (world wide) fall in the narcissism and sociopath spectrum. Look at Putin and the french president who dump his long term gf and kicked her out of French version of the WH. She had a breakdown and ended up in the hospital big RED flag for me that she was dealing with one along with his other horrible behavior that is constant to sociopathic behavior.
YES, I agree the world is going to the dogs!