My experience of handling traditional authority is full of
negative memories that momentarily conjure up ill bodily feelings. Because of
how power is abused in today’s world, inherently, I am against the fundamentalidea that anyone should have more power over anyone else. Power should be
organically earned through value based acts not ascribed just because someone
in an office is appointed based on political pull or marketing dollars.
Traditional authoritarian power is a frame that, at its core, splits humanity
with an engrained “me above them” mental model that get repeated through
generations. How is anything sustainable and productive supposed to be
accomplished in the long term with this attitude? People remember the
hierarchical frame of “me above them” and either fall into victim mode (them
above) or begin to oppress others themselves (me above).
History has taught us
that ruling by Machiavellian fear and authority doesn't work in the long
run. It may satisfy a short-term goal but this amiss leadership style hampers
creativity and loses out on the much bigger picture opportunity for human
evolution. One can hope that authoritarian roles shift in the future to adjust
to a more balanced, pure intentioned place, ie more for the greater good vs for
the selfish gain of the individual/group imposing the power.
As the granddaughter of
Holocaust Survivors, perhaps its genetic. My family is fairly
anti-establishment and won’t obey just for the sake of obeying. Growing up in
Omaha Nebraska, we were taught to ask deeper questions not settle for what is.
We had little fear or a pretend desire to obey in order to conform. I think
this was because we were fully aware (at an extreme) of what could happen when
people behave rotely and do what is expected of them without questioning,
organizing and taking a stand. I was taught from a young age to speak my mind
and stand up for my own ideas and values, that this form of truth telling is
important. Of course, there are limits and we were to respect other’s
perspectives while practicing kindness and playing somewhat within societal
lines. I think this is one of the reasons I have an entrepreneurial spirit, I
seek alternative solutions by trying new ways of doing. I am not afraid to go
against popular consensus. Rather than agreeing when my intuition says not to,
I prefer collaborating with others to create change. This is more of a
peer-to-peer contribution based human experience. As a group, the idea of
suspending old models of thinking, and getting really curious to ask, “what can
we all add and what can we do differently to move forward together?” and then
attempting it seems far more fruitful than settling for the usual.
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