“Those born to wealth, and who have the means of gratifying every wish, know not what is the real happiness of life, just as those who have been tossed on the stormy waters of the ocean on a few frail planks can alone realize the blessings of fair weather.”

―Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo

Dumas's words describe Donald Trump. He knows nothing of want, need, or real achievement. He made millions from his father's millions, this is true. But how hard is that? Wealth begets wealth. He has no clue what makes the vast millions of people who were not born into wealth happy.

It seems very likely that Trump is not at all a happy man. Men who have not actually earned their good fortune are often quite miserable. How on Earth could a happy man spend so much time and effort attacking others in the most base and personal ways? Who spends hours on Twitter spewing invective and insults at people who cannot hurt him at all, cannot affect his life of luxury one bit? Happy people do not do these things. Angry, unhappy people do. They lash out, taunt others with cruel words in order to boost their own fragile egos. We should perhaps have some sympathy for Mr. Trump.

Trump is a classic case of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), and like most narcissists, he is damaged goods, a troubled soul. No one, especially a person in the public domain, utters and repeats such cruel verbal attacks on other people unless such attacks serve to soothe his own ravaged soul. Who maligns women with such rancor as though it is as normal as breakfast? What kind of person viciously demeans his momentary opponents as though his next breath depended on their distress? He endlessly rails about "Lyin' Ted," over and over again. Trump fears Ted Cruz. Trump is a mess of classic psychological diagnoses, none of them good in a president.

So what are we to make of his popularity among so many voters? Most of us are indeed furious at our so-called representatives in D.C., those folks who are mostly annoyed by our petty concerns: terrorism/national security, national debt, illegal immigration, a stagnant economy, the tyranny of political correctness, the federal intrusion into education/indoctrination, etc. We are disappointed. We want change. We want representatives who listen and do what they promise to do. We want to send a "message." But is Trump our savior? He gives no specifics as to how he will effect change – none. He is a flimflammer, like Bernie Madoff or Harold Hill of Music Man. He is selling things he cannot possibly deliver. He is selling himself, and there is nothing there to sell.

It is time for all of us who do know what happiness is and want to insure it for our children and grandchildren to grow up and vote for the man who is a sane, mature, and happy adult. Cruz is the only one still on the docket prepared to lead this once powerful nation back to greatness. We need men like "those who have been tossed on stormy waters," men grateful for the blessings of fair weather to lead us. Trump is not that man.