Casual Abuse of Power

The subtle use of power over others

Warfare, Slavery, Sacrifice

And so it began, glorifying lethal power came with a way of life that was organized by slaughter of other humans, looting properties, subjugation and exploitation that began to be normalized.

Core to an invaders’ system was the placing of higher value on power that takes rather than gives life. Women were reduced to consorts or concubines. Gradually male dominance, warfare and enslavement of women and gentler, ‘effeminate’ men became the norm.

The Old European belief system focused on the agricultural cycle of birth, death and regeneration embodied in the feminine principle of a Mother Creatrix. Then came one economy based on farming, another on stock breeding and grazing. Contrasting ideologies that led to different outcomes.

Fast forward to George Orwell who foresaw a modern time when a “Ministry of Truth” would rewrite books and ideas to make them fit the requirements of men in power.

Unfinished Transformation

The 20th and now in the 21st century a weakening of male control in the family has been revealed and presented as part of a dangerous decline in the family. The gradual erosion of absolute authority of the father and husband has been a critical prerequisite for the movement toward a more egalitarian and just society. Single parenting has allowed women in many cases to take on more responsibility and accountability in family structures.

Boom! Ranking vs. Linking

Here we are in the boomerang and bifurcation of duality in a paradoxical pushback against authoritarian values. Is it time to more beyond the ‘strong leader’ model of someone who will take care of everything in return for faithful obedience? If we shift our focus to a penthouse or even a satellite perspective, we will be able to see that the perceived opposites of male/female, dominator/cooperator, and all or nothing thinking can merge into a neutral, zero-point that will allow cultures to shift to forms of bridging and linking models that will sustain both humanity and our planet. A partnership and caring economy will emerge.

As the poet, Rumi said:

“Somewhere between the fields of right and wrong, there is a place. I will meet you there.”