Over the next several days, National Post will be resharing Rex Murphy’s best columns of all time. This one was originally published on Aug. 9, 2019.

Every little world-saver, and the big ones, too, are stars in their own private movie. They write and direct as well. The script never changes. They, and they alone, see a world in menace; they and they alone know, absolutely know, what the danger is and what the world must — must — do to avoid collapse and devastation. And that salvation always — always — means they must be granted the power to change the world and all it does, so that their vision and certitude can be validated.