As I watched the January 6 hearings and thought about the upcoming midterm elections this observation from George Washington chillingly came to mind.
“Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”
His thought on power didn’t come out of nowhere; rather, it described how he experienced the interplay of politics and power in government. And sadly, it seems now we are harvesting the fruits of that force.
Which leads to the question, why does power corrupt —
- so many?
- so thoroughly?
- so often?
— and so cleverly numb the conscience, empty the brain, harden the heart and deaden the soul?
And why, oh, why is this same terrible story constantly being repeated and, more importantly, is there anything we can do about it?
For an answer, I chose to examine my own life. What I found was an interesting parallel.
As an alcoholic I experienced the same kind of irrational craving that meted out the same kind of irrational behavior. My addiction to alcohol was not unlike the addiction to power.
Alcohol made me its dangerous servant and became my fearful master. I, too, like the power-mad politician, exhibited a decidedly anti-social disposition:
- self will run riot,
- selfishness in the extreme,
- inability to face the truth,
- a conscience warped and dulled.
Such behavior leaves a terrifying wake.
Just as my alcoholism affected my friends and family, the power-hungry of today have distorted the thinking of millions.
But what did I do? I walked away from alcohol, and practice that walk every day. In so doing I restored my connection to my heart, mind and soul.
Today, we have not only a government on fire but an entire nation as well — and nobody quite knows how to put it out.
Abraham Lincoln famously observed, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
True enough, and we’re witnessing the aftermath of a failed test.
How do we recover our lost character?
Maybe best we look back to the time of the Watergate affair when the United States faced a similar test — and passed.
I remember as if it were yesterday how the government was held hostage for months as the scandal enveloped the nation. Good people with excellent pedigrees broke the law to protect the power of one sick man.
It seemed for a time he would destroy government to save himself.
But it didn’t happen.
And herein we have a solution to the problem of power and politics that is not unlike the story of a recovering alcoholic.
Here’s that story:
On August 7, 1974, U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, Republican from Arizona, U.S. House Minority Leader John Rhodes, Republican from Arizona, and U.S. Senate Minority Leader Hugh Scott, Republican from Pennsylvania, went to the White House and made it clear to the President that he faced all but certain impeachment, conviction and removal from office in connection with the Watergate scandal. They did what no one else could do; they forced Nixon to resign, which he did on August 9, 1974.
Kind of like what happens in an intervention with an alcoholic.
They did something you don’t see in politics right now — they spoke truth to power, knowing full well it would deal a blow to their party.
But the country was saved by their act.
Sometimes, letting go of power is a messy affair, just as letting go of alcohol can be messy. But sometimes messiness is the only way to get there.
Which brings us back to George Washington.
In a democracy an elected leader borrows power from the people, but only for a short time and only to accomplish a specific task. When the task is completed the power is graciously returned to its rightful owner: the people.
Washington knew this and practiced it throughout his career. No mess required.
- He walked away from command of the Continental Army.
- He rejected the movement to named him king.
- He refused the offer of presidency for life.
When King George III of England was told by the American artist Benjamin West that Washington was going to resign, he said:
“If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.”
He did, and he was.
Just a thought…
Pat and Marsha
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