Dear Friends,
It seems to me, there is a gulf between authority and power, which surpasses even that between galaxies. Authority is the ability to lead people of their own free will. Power, on the other hand, is the ability to force people to do your will, regardless of how much they don’t want to. The old Marxist saying, although it could have been said by a corporatist (fascist) as well, “Power flows from the barrel of a gun…” sums it up right there. If power is what one seeks, then a gun is what one needs, if authority is what one seeks, then the gun is the opposite tao (way). How many with power demand respect as well? There are two kinds of respect, the respect I give a scorpion, rattlesnake or vinegaroon, and the respect I give a person of virtue. The gulf between them is…
The ignorant, pathological and childish don’t understand the divergence between power and authority. They mistakenly believe power bestows authority, lacking the mental acuity to understand such subtleties… as the gulf between galaxies. Ignorant people simply do not know what they do not know, and so, are the blind that seek the one eyed man, to guide them. The one eyed man is the pathological predator. He lacks depth vision and so cannot distinguish the near from the far, the good from the bad, or right from wrong. Then there are the childish. People who have eyes to see but their hearts get in the way. Willing to cede their, (and everyone else) agency to the one eyed man, for some utopian ideal. Not one of these types is able to differentiate power from legitimate authority.
The difference between authority and power, is also insinuated in the words, leader and despot. A leader wields authority while a despot wields power. People respect a wise leader while they fear a despot. The despot believes the “respect” he gets from his subjects is better than the reverence the leader gets from his citizens. Tyrants rule by violence and the imminent threat of violence… and they have a point. Machiavelli wasn’t a fool. He was cynical. Fear is a powerful motivator of men and therefore is the basis of law. For, if the fear of law didn’t stop people from doing bad things, then what good is law? Pragmatically, those nations that have had leaders, have experienced a rise in the standard of living and in national wealth. Even as war, famine and crime accompany despotism.
If someone needs to threaten you with violence to your person, social standing or economic well being to get you to act, speak or think their way, they are not exercising authority, but power. Those who convince us to act, speak and think as they do, by the power of personality, as Confucius called it, are wielding authority. The difference is as subtle as a rock thrown through a plate glass window. Both work, but power can be wielded by any half witted psychopath, authority can only be wielded by the human hearted. A maniac with a knife is to be respected, like we do a loose rattler in the house, but not to be revered. Both the rattler and maniac needs to be dealt with as a mortal threat. Government that acts like a rattler loose in the house deserves the same kind of respect.
People who act with authority need not use censorship, violence and regulation to force us to act virtuously, they lead by example. Showing the advantage of that way of life and being actual leaders. Despots however, live the opposite way they demand of their subjects, by force of arms. A police state is never ruled by people who have themselves subjected to interrogation, once a week. Those who want to save the planet, by making us eat bugs and pond scum, will themselves eat Wagu ChateauBriand done to perfection. Because tyrants believe power flows from the barrel of a gun while leaders lead by example. Only leaders understand the difference though. A scorpion doesn’t climb up on a bench and demand I revere it. Despots do. How can we hold them in anything but respectful contempt?
Sincerely,
John Pepin
