[tsomer]

...I realized most of that intellect was being spent on their own egotistical advancement of their self-images and where they stood in their “herd” - while not seeing how that dominated their energies and limited their outlooks and creativity.

Yes! Intellect isn't intelligence, and intelligence isn't insight, insight is only a part of wisdom... I recall that China, for many years cultivated a class of savants to administer it's government--the Mandarins. It seems that this was during its most insular and stagnant period.

Creeping mandaranism.

[NewRomeTacitus]

Creeping mandarism (a class that knows the real deal) can only contribute to China’s inevitable failure if that country continues to pretend to be Communists. They’re too tied to commercial interests all over the planet to continue that facade for much longer.

It’s their distaste for social disruption that has prevented this before now. Their government has grown comfortable with a self-perpetuated illusion of “ultimate power” and a conflict will be required before such people will relinquish that illusion - despite the fact that their ideological Communism has been thrown over for practical Capitalism for a long time now.