NO ONE MAN SHOULD HAVE ALL THAT POWER... UNLESS...
Government = a particular system or method of controlling a country. That’s Oxford Dictionary’s definition. Government’s eytomology is quite peculiar government stems from Latin “guberno” which is translated to “steer/ drive /control”. Although humans are quite wild and certainly need restraint for their own good (thank you religion and morality), it is quite a stretch to give consummate authority to an amorphous entity run by humans designed to “control” our interactions. Worse still are the peoples responsible for running these amorphous entities. With unrestricted control comes unrestricted power – and with unrestricted power comes delusions of grandeur leading to corruptibility. Today on “The Other Side with Sihle Sibeko” we examine how insurmountable power may taint even the greatest of leadership structures.
ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY... BUT IT FELL IN ONE!
Unless you’re living gleefully in the jungles of the Amazon or the North Sentinel Island, you have encountered and interacted with government authority whether locally or internationally. Government is involved in every sphere of our livelihoods – from the taxes we pay, to the legislation we follow. This omniscient “Big Brother” is also quite amorphous, for instance we cannot “touch” or “taste” the government; it exists only through its representations: people and its structures, which are, ironically, filled with and created by people. As a system of national governance and international affairs, the Government system seems well suited to serve its purpose. The only issue, the mere slightest of imperfections causing the system to corrode its very core, are… the perfectly imperfect humans asked to man this formless vassal of civil service.
Throughout history we are littered with examples of national governance leading to the ruin of a nation. Most well documented is the demise of Ancient Rome where its leaders got drunk on power in the most despicable ways. Roman ruler Augustus ruled under a democratic nation state, quickly subverting the Roman Empire and introducing the consciousness of Imperialist rule – leading to a period described as nothing short of anarchic, impoverishing and lawless after his reign. The line of succession that followed only augmented this consciousness to worse degrees – climaxing with Nero, the mad-king who had his own mother killed. This short-sightedness led to an era of decline in Ancient Rome and ultimately its ruin.
Nearly 2100 years later and we haven’t evolved much since the times of Ancient Rome. People dismayed by the actions of elected officials, tyrannical leaders (in egoic ideology and thankfully not actuality) pillaging without reprehension, elected officials aimlessly creating policies not aligned with the will of the people because they can… this list goes on and on. The issue though is not with the system itself, but the consciousness behind it. Who manifests the consciousness? The people – in this instance the leaders. Why is it that governments ultimately corrode over time and diverge from the will of the people? Why do government leaders insulate themselves to the point of invincibility? Why do governments erode any trust they have with the people? One answer may be the consciousness of Power.
POWER CORR... COM.... EH?
Power is a double edged sword. It brings discernment or disillusionment, it inspires greatness or gratuity, it either corrupts absolutely or compels absolutely. In any event, the consciousness of Power must be acutely observed for throughout history it has demonstrated how it devoured even the most kind-hearted & earnest of people. The nasty boss who treats their team with contempt, the abusive partner exhibiting indignation, the once rising politician turned ruthless pragmatist. Even at a national level, power unchecked is creates a monster, eg: USA’s hegemony over the world due to its militaristic might & global dollarization. The thing with governments is the undisputed power it transfers to people whose consciousness is not evolved enough to comprehend its enormity. Imagine being a child given the keys to a chocolate factory with no adult around to tell you what to do? Individuals ascend to the throne of power and immediately transform into a monster even they are not aware of. This happens everywhere: government, corporate – even at church. Why? Because the individual’s physical ascent does not coincide with the individual’s metaphysical ascent. Maybe they have not healed powerlessness in their past?; or maybe they have not attuned themselves to the will of their subconscious?; or maybe they have not taken the effort to grow beyond their material comforts. As with all things though, African Spiritual Sciences (“AS”) offers the solution.
Development of the metaphysical and physical capacities of an individual is at the VERY core of AS. In order for an individual to rise into their purpose, the person undergoes a rigorous initiation merging personal truths with cosmic truths so that the individual understands the gravity of their being as a manifestation of Omniversal Blackness. More so, the individual is educated in understanding how their essence is enveloped in the Whole, therefore their actions however miniutiae shape and impact the Whole. The latter point, of shaping & impact, is related to the concept of “Power” in AS. Power serves as the expression of “might” in the creative process – the ability to will something out of Blackness and into existence both on a cosmic and personal level. AS takes the initiation as step further, by instituting to concept of “Balance” in understanding Power. Through Balance, an individual is initiated by way of UbuNtu, an AS ontological order – the initiation stipulates that whatever is created must serve to enhance the individual, other persons and the environment all simultaneously. Anything created without serving all three simultaneously may disavow harmony and tilt Universal scales out of Balance, thus creating an imbalance* which must be redressed in order for harmony to continue sustainably. By pairing Power with Balance, the initiate is made fully aware of the personal and cosmic repercussions of their actions, more importantly, they are made aware of their personal and cosmic duty to amplify expressions of Omniversal Blackness. Thus, sustainable harmony is secured.
We’ll put the above into an example. In AS, what matters most is the both the physical and metaphysical ascension of an individual, leading to their apotheosis. From greatest King to the meekest of Subjects – all exist with the same prerogative. None is more significant than the other because at the grandest level they all exist to serve a singular purpose: express Omniversal Blackness. We’ll make an example of a King and a Subject responsible for agriculture in the Kingdom. Where things beautifully intertwine is the King will not see the kingdom grow to the envisioned heights in his mind without the Subject’s agricultural ingenuity; similarly the Subject’s fulfilment of purpose may be stunted without the King expanding the kingdom and securing more land for the Subject to be met with a moment of agricultural genius. The King’s metaphysical ascent (acknowledging the Subject as an expression of Blackness, same as he) will lead to his physical ascent (expansion of the kingdom); the Subject’s metaphysical ascent (knowing the King is same as them – an expression of Blackness) will lead to their physical ascent (moment of agricultural genius).
ROYAL WISDOMS
In AS, a King must foster a harmonious relationship with the people that he leads, and this harmony is the Balance necessary for the continuity of life. A great example of the above is King Shiriyadenga – the founding King of Great Mapungubwe who asked his greatest agriculturists to find the most fertile land and established one of the most equality-orientated, gold laden ancient society in African history after the successful findings of his Subjects. Furthermore in AS & ancient African cultures even King’s know they are commensurate to their Subjects. “On my right is the nation, on my left are my clansmen, this is the bond that binds us together” – words of the great Zulu King Tshaka kaSenzangakhona kaJama. It is a well-known in Ancient Africa for King’s to always be by the side of their clansmen, and this is important in AS for the moment A King loses sight of this key principle, their rule shortly ends (fate that befell the same King Tshaka KaSenzangakhona KaJama). The above examples demonstrate the other side to Power’s double-edged sword – the side where Power compels one to be great by being of service to other because ultimately the benefit is returned to them in a way that fulfils their purpose. In modernity this type of leadership is coined “servant leadership”. Hopefully, this also demonstrates how AS is not mythical in nature, but merely an elevation in consciousness achievable by us all.
Few politicians in this era have stepped into a leadership of this nature: Lee Kuan Yew, Nelson Mandela, Robert F Kennedy, Fidel Castro etc etc. In the administrations of those leaders, we saw their consciousness of servant leadership cascade over their governments and their respective nation’s experienced renewed prosperity on a societal and economic level (albeit to varying degrees). If governments are to truly serve the people, then the consciousness of Power, the leaders who assume that consciousness, and the people who are to be served by that consciousness must favour Compel over Corrupt. To lead is to serve, and nowhere else is Servant Leadership more needed than in the now!
Siyabonga!!!
*Important to note that in AS there no such thing as true Imbalance. Imbalance in this instance simply represents a state resonating closer to entropy than harmony. The entropy can either be positively charged (order > meaningless expression) or negatively charged (meaningless expression > order). Our society represents a positively charged entropy in AS terms.
This week's affirmation: My Power compels me to be the best version of me always!
This week's vibe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2BBd-8WY2A - Usuthu (Mr Raoul K Remix) by Hyenah | https://open.spotify.com/track/4MCoaVqhoi8EL9b2GC0B4B / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyVG0cS9O2w - Barumba by Incognito
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