Menschkeit vs Compulsive Megalomania

On the flipside, if you are immature, and prone to passing superficial value judgements about other people, these words are likely to send you on a self-glorifying pious spree of identifying friends, family, acquaintances and authorities who have persistently missed the mark of humanity.

The Urban Dictionary defines menschkeit or mensch, words of Yiddish origin, as “a person who is admired, respected and trusted because of a sense of ethics, fairness and nobility.” Rivetted to the principle of menschkeit are desirable attributes such as, honour, fearlessness, fortitude, discipline, sound-judgement, integrity, logic, and self-sacrifice. Contrast that with megalomania, a word defined by Merriam-Webster’s dictionary as, “a condition or mental illness that causes people to think that they have great or unlimited power or importance.” Closely linked to this word are negative qualities such as, oppression, suppression, repression, egomania, and tyranny. It is not uncommon to see megalomania preceded by words like, pigheaded, narcissistic, ruthless, masochistic, and delusional.