The pride of power. Part 2

(An excerpt from my upcoming book, Yearning for Simplicity. The book is a derivative work of the 1905 book, “The Simple Life”, by Charles Wagner.)

We forget that the first quality needed in the person of authority is humility. Haughtiness is not humility. It is not we who are the law, the law is over our heads. Our task is to interpret, but to make it valid to others, we must first be subject to it ourselves. To command and to obey are but two forms of the same virtue–voluntary servitude. If you are not obeyed, it is generally because you yourself have not obeyed it first.

Those who rule with simplicity get more done. They soften with their attitude the harshness of the fact. Their authority is not in titles, reprimands, they do not need to threaten yet they get things done. Why? Because we feel that they themselves are ready for everything. What gives someone the right to ask another to sacrifice their time, passion, effort, even their life, is not only that they have resolved to do these things themselves, but have done so in advance. In commanding people with this spirit of equality of sacrifice, there is a mysterious force which communicates to the person who is to obey and helps them do what is right. In all areas of human activity, there are leaders who inspire, strengthen, invigorate their people—under their direction the people do marvelous work. With them you feel yourself capable of any effort, and will do it with enthusiasm.  

At the other end of the scale of authority is the pride of the underling. The root of these two prides is the same thing. I’m referring to the pig-headed underling who will never admit that there is anything above his knowledge. They find any superiority irritating. For them, any piece of advise is an offense, every criticism an outrage, every order an attack on their freedoms. They do not know how to submit to rule. 

To the family of the proud also belongs those difficult and supersensitive people who believe that their superiors never do them honor, who are never satisfied, who go about their duties with an air of a martyr. At the core these people have too much misplaced self-respect. They do not know how to fill their places simply, but complicate their lives and the lives of others by unreasonable demands and morbid suspicions. 

If you look closely, you will find that pride has so many lurking-places among those of lower rank, of humble means. It exists in the most modest dwellings, barricaded behind walls, entrenched, with ambitions and contempts, just as pervasive as is the aristocratic prejudices found inside mansions. Obscure or illustrious, pride wraps itself in a royal robe of enmity to the human race. It is the same in low and high places, solitary and impotent, on guard against everybody. Levels of authority are like ditches between us to be sure, but pride transforms ditches into canyons, it is pride which cries from canyon edge to edge, “There is nothing in common between us.”

Tagged as: power, pride