2004-11-30
POWER | RULE | LEADERSHIP
As the newly empowered in the USA rush to adopt new rules it behooves us to reflect on the differences between what it means to be in power, imposing rules and providing leadership | The contrasts can be vast |
Any fool can impose rules and order people to adhere to them | Under such a regime, there is no requirement that the rules have any bearing upon anything; be it social need, long term planning, good of the society... anything except, perhaps, the caprice of the rulers |
As such, an arbitrary issuance of rules is one form of governance | Not a good one however | And the precedents for such governance are many | They embody the reigns of tyrants and madmen |
Leadership, on the other hand, requires thoughfulness, deliberation, tolerance ~ even encouragement ~ of dissent | Leadership requires, long term strategic planning, contingency planning, an abiding sense of justice and fairness | Leadership requires a sense of vision, but one that factors into account that the leader's may not be the best direction for society, and if so, the ability to abandon that vision for one more tenable and just |
In some respects, the history of this time has already been written | Those in power would do well to reflect on the past, to identify their true roles in history | The picture, at the moment, isn't pretty, for either those in power, or their fiefs [that's us, folks] | We must be constantly watchful | ¶ 08:04
As the newly empowered in the USA rush to adopt new rules it behooves us to reflect on the differences between what it means to be in power, imposing rules and providing leadership | The contrasts can be vast |
Any fool can impose rules and order people to adhere to them | Under such a regime, there is no requirement that the rules have any bearing upon anything; be it social need, long term planning, good of the society... anything except, perhaps, the caprice of the rulers |
As such, an arbitrary issuance of rules is one form of governance | Not a good one however | And the precedents for such governance are many | They embody the reigns of tyrants and madmen |
Leadership, on the other hand, requires thoughfulness, deliberation, tolerance ~ even encouragement ~ of dissent | Leadership requires, long term strategic planning, contingency planning, an abiding sense of justice and fairness | Leadership requires a sense of vision, but one that factors into account that the leader's may not be the best direction for society, and if so, the ability to abandon that vision for one more tenable and just |
In some respects, the history of this time has already been written | Those in power would do well to reflect on the past, to identify their true roles in history | The picture, at the moment, isn't pretty, for either those in power, or their fiefs [that's us, folks] | We must be constantly watchful | ¶ 08:04
