“And if you think tough men are dangerous, wait until you see what weak men are capable of.” -Jordan Peterson
I dearly love the fact that I stumbled upon that Peterson quote just when I needed it the most. All in good humor here, but I am not afraid of powerful men or tough ones, but the weak ones sometimes scare the crap out of me.
A friend on Twitter has suggested that, “the desire for power is always a bad thing, “ and while it sounds sensible on the surface I somewhat object to the whole notion.
I suppose it is partially because I have so frequently been powerless and I have learned that powerlessness is not any more virtuous or noble than being powerful. Since the morality is not related to the alleged affliction, power is not the root of the problem. This idea has been reaffirmed to me multiple times on account of the fact that I live in an area where power is perceived as the root of all evil, therefore government in it’s benevolence, must constantly remove all of yours for you own protection.
I had a lovely conversation with some ladies about fire ants, because one would hope that talking about bugs was a safe subject. One would be wrong. So there are some rafts of fire ants floating on floodwaters on Texas and the public health advice amounted to, avoid them. Sounds quite reasonable to me and I have no desire to challenge that, but of course where I live we just cannot leave floating ants be. There oughta be a law! Some fines too, and potential criminal sentences.
Whatever for? I mean, seriously. Are people sneaking out of their homes to try to poke at floating fire ants for recreational purposes? Is this a big enough problem that we must now criminalize it an enforce mandates? Wouldn’t poking a bunch of fire ants carry it’s own natural penalties?
Sigh. Alas, no. Where I live, in certain circles, even just the power to govern your own self, the power to choose to avoid fire ants without the benefit of additional motivating factors, is simply too much power for any one individual to carry. Besides, what about the children who might go out and wrestle ants?
Natural consequences apparently lead to dangerous risks we just cannot afford to well, risk.
Does anybody read Danny Silk? I happen to enjoy him because he is always stressing the importance of being a powerful person. One cannot actually love others without being powerful. There are only two states of being in human relationships, connection or separation. There is fear or there is love. Powerful people get their love on. Powerless people get their fear on.
Now that is very simplistic, rather rough outline of some of the points Danny Silk makes. Hopefully he will forgive me if he ever stumbles upon this post, but that is the essence of some of his books. “Power” is simply the freedom to exercise your own self control.
Power is not the enemy. It can be of course, the amassing of power over others can be a temptation, a potential sin. I mean, who doesn’t want world domination, right?? I always find it a bit humorous and ironic that we say that, and we sometimes even desire that, but in truth a good chunk of us don’t even seem to want to seize a tiny bit of power over our own tiny selves!
Which brings me to the the root of the problem, the essence of it all. People don’t want to know themselves. We are often somewhat reluctant to go there and have a peek. Power comes from going there and having a peek.
Power is not the problem, just as money is not the problem. The Bible speaks of how it is the love of money that is the root of all evil. One could say something very similar, the love of power is the root of evil, not the power itself. Why? Because the things we love, the things we crave, the things we desire, we are lacking. There is scarcity there, not enough, a hole in your soul.
A desire for power is healthy. It is a basic human need. My fire ant ladies for example, do not desire power for themselves at all. In fact, they actually have none of their own which is why they are so concerned about rafts of fire ants several states away and trying to control people they don’t even know in Texas. Power is like a substance that just vacuums itself up into the abyss where the empty places are. It just can’t help itself.
I don’t wish to sound too harsh here, but I suppose it is too late for that. In for a penny, in for a pound. My ladies are like a little tyrannical, fascist, matriarchy of power hungry, control freaks, ready to suck the power right off of complete strangers living in another state, because they are just famished. Starving for some power, because they have be led to believe that power is a very bad thing and the desire for it is somehow shameful.
Does that make them gentle, tender people? It does not, in fact by the time we got to talking about the mandatory life sentences for people who break the imaginary fire ant rules, I was desperately looking for the exit and trying not to run.
What the world really needs, men and women, is MOAR power, the authentic kind that comes from within. The problem being, with power comes accountability and most of us would rather just not go there.
Let me just state for the record as one who lives in the south and knows her fire ants— yes, their ire is enough penalty— plain and simple 😑
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LOL! I believe you. I think a part of our desire to legislate absolutely everything stems from fear. Like, let’s just ban fire ants, okay?! That will make them go away, but of course the world doesn’t work like that. 🙂
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I say nuke um— then that get us as well— oops
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Great post! IB there is a wealth of opportunity for analogies here- What occurs to me is the arrogance that any can have the audacity to believe they can know what is truly in another’s best interest. The age-old question can one be trusted to make decisions on their own behalf or not. Some, of course, cannot and they need our help, but in my opinion, most do not and are better left alone to reap the consequences of their good or bad decisions.
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Thanks, Jeff. It really does take some arrogance to believe we know what is in another’s best interest, or at least to believe we are the ones who should be in control of their best interests. That kind of a need for control is often rooted in fear, so we’re right back where we started. 🙂
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“Providence to whom we are infinitely more indebted than we are to our own wisdom, or our own exertions, has always displayed its power and goodness, when clouds and thick darkness seemed ready to overwhelm us. The hour is now come when we stand much in need of another manifestation of its bounty however little we deserve it.” George Washington
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Cool quote, Jeff! I never heard that one before.
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I was looking for a different one but this one I found poignant
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I’m adding to a post that I have been inspired to compose-I’ll link to this post too
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Awesome! Sounds great, Jeff. 🙂
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Great post, IB! You said a lot of good things here that I could comment on. I will just pick three… 🙂
First, on the idea that “the desire for power is always a bad thing.” This assertion is false on its face unless put in context, as you have done. For instance, the “powerless person” can use this sentiment to manipulate others while pretending not to seek power. It’s like the person who demands his or her way by sulking and pouting instead the one being forcefully angry. It’s just two sides of the same manipulative coin.
Seeking power is simply seeking to influence others. It can be either good or bad, depending on our motives. And, if we’re honest with ourselves, we all want influence, either overtly or covertly. For instance, you may believe strongly in something and want to convince others of your position. This can be a good kind of desiring power, or it can be a bad thing, depending on whether what you want to do is good or bad.
“I live in an area where power is perceived as the root of all evil, therefore government in it’s benevolence, must constantly remove all of yours for you own protection.”
You’re pretty much explaining the Marxist ideal here! It’s “We know better than you, you poor slobs!” “After all, we’re more educated! We have just the right social program (to keep you enslaved to us).” This kind of power appeals to arrogant people who look down on others, who think the public is just too stupid to take care of themselves, so they create laws and programs to make sure the public stays powerless. Government becomes our parents, our spouse, and our religion.
“On being a powerful person….
Power comes from going there and having a peek.”
Amen and amen! Our confidence in who we are comes from self-discovery. As Socrates said, an unexamined life is not worth living.” When we confront our own issues, we become a powerful person who thinks for themselves, yet knows how to love without manipulation or guile.
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Good points, Mel. There are all kinds of passive/aggressive behaviors, like pouting, the silent treatment, that are still designed or intended to manipulate people. I was just reading a discussion wondering if America overall has gotten more powerless culturally. We tend to frown on being direct or upfront, sometimes confusing open, healthy conflict with “violence.” We can totally blame the media for stoking those fires, they need a good story. 🙂
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I agree with the media being to blame, but also our universities and culture in general. Our young people are being feed socialism, which always breeds victimhood and weakness. This is why cancel culture is prevalent; free speech cannot be tolerated by people who are relationally immature and made to feel powerless.
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Mrs. IB, you knocked this one out of the park!!! Thank you for your candid wisdom 🙂
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Thank you for your kind words, Squid! Much appreciated. 🙂
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Quite the nuanced post. Man you are right I think we are seeing a lot of the danger of those who are not powerful in of themselves wanting power in the wrong way. You post made me think about how those that have done the most evil things in history sometimes when you see them they don’t really impress you and at other times you look and they are quite weak men who wanted power. I think of the insurgents captured when I was in Iraq, those video of prisoners who were in ISIS, the Cambodian killing fields, etc…
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Good points, Slim! I think we call that “the banality of evil.” We make it very big and scary in our minds, and it is dangerous, but up close and personal it just looks kind of weak and pathetic because that’s what it really is.
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The important question these days is, once someone has power over others, will they ever willingly let go of it? Or will we have to choose between a violent revolution or wearing these masks for the rest of our lives?
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Good post, I enjoyed how you used fire ants and consequences. Keep up the good work that you do.
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Thanks for the great insight. It gives me some ideas to mull over.
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