Government is meant to be established to help society come together and work for the common good. Sadly, those put into positions of power and authority can abuse the power they have been given and use it for their own private interests. The fact that it can be abused should not detour us. We do not nor ever will live in a utopia. But, when we find corruption, we can and should work to make things better.
Often, it is not always easy for the people to see when government is being corrupted, such as when those in positions of power gaslight the people, lying to them in order convince them to do something which does not benefit the common good, but rather, the person in power. They will often try to convince the the people that some actions which end up hurting the common good will help it, while those which would help the common good would hinder it.They have to tell people their policies will help everyone, convincing them this is so, when it would only help a select few. We also see it when those involved in the execution of the law are the ones who are lawless while charging with crimes those who are innocent. They will project the crimes they commit upon others, using others as scapegoats. St. Cyprian of Carthage understood this was what was happening with Rome:
The same persons are accusers in public and the defendants in secret, both their own critics and guilty. They condemn abroad what they commit at home, which, after they have committed it, they accuse; a daring acting directly with vice and an impudence in harmony with the shameless.[1]
Many, if not most, seek power and authority for selfish reasons. When they attain some level of authority in society, they must manipulate the system, doing what they can to make sure they will be able to have it while denying it to others. Again, it is in such a situation, gaslighting happens (often coming in the form of propaganda, and they will do what they can to make sure that only their propaganda and not the proper response to it is disseminated in society). Those who are greedy, those who create a system based upon greed and its expectations, are incapable of making a just system; all that the can establish is a form of injustice which they describe as justice, an injustice which denies all the true good, a denial which ultimately will affect them as with everyone else:
How numerous the webs woven by those rich who have gone before us, who accumulated wealth with various kinds of craftiness and clever contrivances, who sought magistracies, offices, and consulships in diverse ways, whether through ambition or cruelty: all of these wove spider’s webs. All their deeds were as empty and worthless as the webs of a spider, and for that reason their souls have wasted away like a spider’s web.[2]
Those who gaslight, and do so while having some level of power and authority in society, are cowards, but, they will not want people to believe this, so they will gaslight even more, hoping to make people think they are brave. To do this, they will act with the power they have, exercising it with cruelty, thinking that will prove their bravery. “The fact is that the cruel are never brave. The brave never oppress anyone.”[3] To maintain power and control, they want to appear brave, but what they fear is the populace at large: they not only are afraid they will lose power, they are afraid what will happen when they lose power and have to face the consequences for what they have done. They know, ultimately, they are weak and powerless. They will seek to destroy what they cannot control, even as they will flee from any challenge they cannot easily overcome, hoping that they will later find a way to take out all threats to their authority. Often, they will have others do the dirty work for them. They might, for example, send soldiers into peaceful cities to take control of them, hoping to make everyone afraid of what they might do next. Once again, they are concerned that their weakness will be exposed and what power or authority they have will soon be lost to them. And if we look at tyrants, those would-be dictators who would trample upon the rights and dignity of people, those who are cruel and without compassion, we will find they are all men and women of passions, and not just any kind of passions, but bad, corrupted ones like pride, lust, and greed. They how no control over themselves, and as such, another reason why many of them want to maintain power is to make sure they can continue engaging their passions without consequences, as St. Isaac the Syrian understood:
Lack of compassion and cruelty occur as a result of a great profusion of the passions. Because the heart has been hardened by the passion, they do not allow a person to be stirred by pity, and <such a> person does not know how to feel pity for someone else: he feels no pain over someone afflicted, nor will he suffer when he sees his companions shattered, or feel any sadness over those who fall into sins. Rather, because of those passions that have been mentioned, anger and envy become strong and powerful in him. Sometimes a <person> is stirred to a stupid kind of zeal, wishing as if to take vengeance on behalf of God, giving no place in his soul to pity. [4]
We must fight against tyranny; we must be brave and compassionate, seeking and promoting the common good, especially when would-be tyrants arise and seek to manipulate, control, and abuse the world around them. Despite their gaslighting, trying to look strong, we must realize the weakness which underlies all tyrants, the weakness which can and will lead to their own undermining. We must be the ones who are strong and courageous, making sure we resist, not with an equal injustice, that is, not by seeking to replace one tyrant with another tyrant, but with the promotion of true justice and the common good. While tyranny will give in when it is resisted, when it is mocked, when the people realize how weak it really is, we must not expect it will do so immediately; we must challenge it, we must show we are stronger, of greater character, than the tyrants. But, given time, allowing proper resistance to grow, we can topple the power of tyrants and work for a better, proper government, one which does as it is meant to do, work for the common good.
[1] St. Cyprian of Carthage, “To Donatus” in St. Cyprian: Treatises. Trans. Roy J. Deferrari (New York: Fathers of the Church, Inc., 1958), 15.
[2] Origen, Homilies on Psalms 36-38. Trans. Michael Heintz (Washington, DC: CUA Press, 2023), 236 [Homily 2, Psalm 38 [39]].
[3] Abdul Ghaffar Khan, My Life and Struggle. Trans. Imtiaz Ahmad Sahibzada (Roli Books: Greater Noida, India: 2021), 19.
[4] St. Isaac of Nineveh, Headings on Spiritual Knowledge (The Second Part, Chapters 1-3). Trans. Sebastian Brock (Yonkers, NY: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2022), 109 [Chapter 3; Second Discourse].
Stay in touch! Like A Little Bit of Nothing on Facebook.
If you liked what you read, please consider sharing it with your friends and family!
N.B.: While I read comments to moderate them, I rarely respond to them. If I don’t respond to your comment directly, don’t assume I am unthankful for it. I appreciate it. But I want readers to feel free to ask questions, and hopefully, dialogue with each other. I have shared what I wanted to say, though some responses will get a brief reply by me, or, if I find it interesting and something I can engage fully, as the foundation for another post. I have had many posts inspired or improved upon thanks to my readers.
Select your answer to see how you score.
