‘’If we fail to fight those who wage a silent war against
our welfare, they will continue to make us wage a mindless warfare against ourselves’’
Bishop Chux
"The Power in People is stronger than the People in
Power"
Saji Ijiyemi
Saji Ijiyemi
"Contrary to what we, the people, have been told, we
are the power; we have supreme authority because we are the masses and true
power always resides with the masses, never with the global elite who, by their
very nature, have always been a vulnerable minority and will always continue to
be...As long as the masses realize that, of course."
James Mocran
James Mocran
"The People are the Power,
the moment we all realize that is the revolution hour"
Omole Ibukun.
Omole Ibukun.
The story
.
The majority have always been powerless, while the minority have been extremely powerful. The people want to decide their own fate. They are tired of the establishment. They don't want to side one side of the powerful class against the other again. They want to give their mandate to that genuine individual from their ranks. The majority are first of all a little bit doubtful of entrusting their mandate with this powerless individual. He is one of them. They don't see anything special about him.
.
But based on the reality before them, they start seeing something special about him. His consistency. His will power. His passion. His nonviolent nonconformism. "He has risked his life for our cause many times, how can he betray that", they reassure themselves. These qualities humble the people, because they expect that those qualities are preserved for men of great positions alone. Then they start considering him for the position. The "troublemaker" becomes the history-maker. The rabble-rouser becomes the spirit-rouser.
.
At last, the majority put their trust in their fellow powerless individual and help him achieve power. They capitalize on the 'democratic' system, (that gives the underdog a chance only to rubber-stamp the arrangement of the powerful) and smuggle their candidate into victory. He enjoys popular support and goodwill of the majority. Even God supports the powerless over the powerful.
.
What then happens when the powerless becomes the powerful? He discovers he does not fully understand how to unite the contradiction within the needs of the people. He cannot resign. He wants to continue enjoying the luxuries of the position. Gradually, he starts silencing the voice of the opposition. Tactically, at first. Then, when he sees it's effective, he is emboldened to employ force more openly.
.
Everyone who used to see him as their hope now live in fear. Fear of him. He is scared. Scared of opposition, since he knew how he used it to bring down his predecessors. He himself now lives in sorrow. The man who used to be the friend of all people can no longer afford to have real friends. He is too powerful for that betrayal-prone relationship. He becomes extremely lonely. Yes, it's lonely at the top. This individual who valiantly fought dictatorship suddenly becomes a dictator himself.
.
History has repeated itself. The oppressed of yesterday now becomes an oppressor, and this unending cycle inflicts the people with apathy. The majority is discouraged. The people, who recently collectively fought a cause, now believe there is no hope than to live the individualistic life of 'one man for himself'. In fact, some of those newly afflicted with this individualism consider the whole thing as a script from the start, and build their individual struggle on adopting a wicked variation of that script and using it to also rise to power. It's impossible to trust anyone again. This reinforces individualism in the masses. TRUST MYSELF ONLY becomes the song in the mouth of the electorate. They try to adapt with the rotten politics that this gives birth to. They feel its the best they can get.
.
.
The majority have always been powerless, while the minority have been extremely powerful. The people want to decide their own fate. They are tired of the establishment. They don't want to side one side of the powerful class against the other again. They want to give their mandate to that genuine individual from their ranks. The majority are first of all a little bit doubtful of entrusting their mandate with this powerless individual. He is one of them. They don't see anything special about him.
.
But based on the reality before them, they start seeing something special about him. His consistency. His will power. His passion. His nonviolent nonconformism. "He has risked his life for our cause many times, how can he betray that", they reassure themselves. These qualities humble the people, because they expect that those qualities are preserved for men of great positions alone. Then they start considering him for the position. The "troublemaker" becomes the history-maker. The rabble-rouser becomes the spirit-rouser.
.
At last, the majority put their trust in their fellow powerless individual and help him achieve power. They capitalize on the 'democratic' system, (that gives the underdog a chance only to rubber-stamp the arrangement of the powerful) and smuggle their candidate into victory. He enjoys popular support and goodwill of the majority. Even God supports the powerless over the powerful.
.
What then happens when the powerless becomes the powerful? He discovers he does not fully understand how to unite the contradiction within the needs of the people. He cannot resign. He wants to continue enjoying the luxuries of the position. Gradually, he starts silencing the voice of the opposition. Tactically, at first. Then, when he sees it's effective, he is emboldened to employ force more openly.
.
Everyone who used to see him as their hope now live in fear. Fear of him. He is scared. Scared of opposition, since he knew how he used it to bring down his predecessors. He himself now lives in sorrow. The man who used to be the friend of all people can no longer afford to have real friends. He is too powerful for that betrayal-prone relationship. He becomes extremely lonely. Yes, it's lonely at the top. This individual who valiantly fought dictatorship suddenly becomes a dictator himself.
.
History has repeated itself. The oppressed of yesterday now becomes an oppressor, and this unending cycle inflicts the people with apathy. The majority is discouraged. The people, who recently collectively fought a cause, now believe there is no hope than to live the individualistic life of 'one man for himself'. In fact, some of those newly afflicted with this individualism consider the whole thing as a script from the start, and build their individual struggle on adopting a wicked variation of that script and using it to also rise to power. It's impossible to trust anyone again. This reinforces individualism in the masses. TRUST MYSELF ONLY becomes the song in the mouth of the electorate. They try to adapt with the rotten politics that this gives birth to. They feel its the best they can get.
.
LESSON
Never think the problem of our society is lack of genuine individuals in power. We have many. The problem is the fact that the majority is not allowed to exercise their power, except during election. The majority can be wrong at times, but the majority is always genuine. And when the majority is wrong, they can easily learn from their mistakes, since there are no selfish individual interests available. The majority cannot make decisions for the selfish ambitions and greed of one person, but for the interest of the collective.
Never think the problem of our society is lack of genuine individuals in power. We have many. The problem is the fact that the majority is not allowed to exercise their power, except during election. The majority can be wrong at times, but the majority is always genuine. And when the majority is wrong, they can easily learn from their mistakes, since there are no selfish individual interests available. The majority cannot make decisions for the selfish ambitions and greed of one person, but for the interest of the collective.
.
Collective planning of the affairs of our society.
Collective ownership of the wealth of our society. No one is raised above that
collective. Where the politician enjoy the same wages as the average worker.
Where the working people are the major decision makers on the policy of the
government. Where the representative can be removed whenever he is no longer
representing the interest of the majority. It is this kind of power that can be
truly genuine. It is this kind of power that won't betray us.
IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT PUTTING GENUINE PEOPLE IN
POWER; IT IS ABOUT PUTTING THE COLLECTIVE IN POWER.ALL OF THESE ARE ONLY POSSIBLE UNDER A DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST SYSTEM. We must embrace it.
