A bit of a running joke with me is that I often want to be in charge, but I’m unwilling to seize power against the will of others. If people would just listen to me, we’d all be happier and better off.
This tendency reminded me the other day of Lord Vetinari of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. Vetinari is the Patrician and supreme ruler of Ankh-Morpork. Now, I’ve only read a handful of this vast series so far, but I think I could be a suitable Vetinari for the real world.
According to the Discworld Wiki:
It was his discovery that people only really want stability and that tomorrow should pretty much resemble today, and this has been his greatest contribution to Ankh-Morpork. Impressively, he manages to keep this up even while he drags Ankh-Morpork, sometimes kicking and screaming, into the future. It is said that Vetinari can accomplish more with irony than most others can with steel. He can also accomplish more with one raised eyebrow than most people can with two of them and a lifetime of practice.
A good dictator should have the best interests of the people in mind, and accomplish those interests with a minimum of fuss. Generally, people want their lives to run smoothly and efficiently, and an appropriately functioning government is a step in that direction. Especially if that government is helmed by a person who has a finger in everything and the ability to inspire action in others.
*If you haven’t caught on, this post has been written with my tongue firmly in my cheek. But there are some points that I think we should consider as our nation faces the coming election.
While we’re not electing a dictator, we need to consider whether our chosen candidate has the interests of the people at heart. I’m not sure any of the current choices do. I’m not sure any human can truly ignore their own selfish heart.
But maybe we ought to consider electing someone who doesn’t want the presidency. Someone with leadership qualities, chosen by others, not by themselves. In all honesty, I don’t really want to be in charge, and that might be what makes me succeed as a leader in some cases. I think that someone who doesn’t want to, but respects this nation and will take the responsibility of leading it seriously, might just be what we need.
Vetinari 2016: A Tyrant for our Time
It’s funny how this pertains to so many people including myself. If people would own and accept the responsibility of their actions, this world would find healing. But, there are just too many loopholes for people to sabotage themselves and remain dependent on the system. 🙁