The Might of Right

We've all heard the saying "Might Makes Right".  And as much as we want to believe that we're a civilized society, everything seems to come back to that.  Much lip service is paid to the "Rule of Law", but often those with power completely ignore laws when they become inconvenient. 

Along with persuasive arguments to convince others of the merits of an idea, when resistance or opposition is encountered, the power elite resort to force..."Might Makes Right".

It doesn't always have to be overt and brutal.  When you have the resources of the power elite, you are able to manipulate public opinion and manufacture consent before you have to bring in brute force.  The power elite can pay their media servants to make their case eloquently and with arguments that sound eminently logical.  But it doesn't necessarily make it right.

The rightness of a thing is usually derived from the consent of the people in things that are more or less universally agreed upon.  Like, I think we would find universal agreement on it being a good idea to have clean water available for everyone.

But the power elite may have an interest in taking actions which threaten the safety of the water supply (fracking comes to mind).  And in order to take such actions it becomes necessary to provide a counter argument, that these actions will actually produce some beneficial result. So, their media servants are unleashed to convince the public that something demonstrably BAD, is OK to do, because they will tell us it produces jobs, or it lessens our dependence on foreign sources of energy, or some other logical argument.

Now when this fails, because the public thinks that having clean water outweighs those arguments, the public will object to the actions of the power elite. Those objections could manifest in the form of street actions like protests and civil disobedience, then we begin to see the power elite resort to brute force to quiet the protests and continue with their agenda.

And that's where the Might of Right comes in.  When the people unite in pursuit of a universal idea like "let's not pollute our water supply", then that becomes very powerful.  Because the people are actually right, and the needs of the many should take precedence over the few, more people are drawn to the rightness of the cause.  This produces a power or Might all of its own.

This Might of Right is what allows people to stand up in the face of criticisms, oppression and collective punishment by the power elite and their media servants.  This Might of Right helps the people endure the elements as they take to the streets to make their voices heard.

Many believe it was Ghandi who said "First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win."  But it's the Might of Right that sustains you through that cycle.

Stand up 99.

Please visit me at www.leemanuel05.com