L’État, c’est moi
Historians can’t agree whether Louis XIV uttered these words, or whether they are apocryphal. Either way, they perfectly depict Louis’ philosophy: “I myself am the state.”
Louis the “Sun King” ruled France and its empire from 1643-1715, a realm that stretched from Canada to Africa and Asia, including at times large parts of Europe. His reign was very personal – he was a hands-on ruler, initially restoring solvency and order, but as with all one-man shows, things unraveled. At the end, he ruled a diminished empire, and died of gangrene, just as fragile as any of us.
The funny thing about absolute rulers is that they never learn history’s immutable lessons. From Hammurabi to the Pharaohs to Nero to Genghis Khan to Henry VIII to Napoleon to Hitler to Stalin, each feels himself (not many “herself’s” in this crowd) to be special and elevated not only amongst his subjects, but to be best-of-kind amongst tyrants. Most see themselves not as a ruthless despot but as a precious gift to his people, the great father figure and benefactor.
Humankind suffers a weakness, even a fondness, for the Big Daddy ruler. Donald Trump still enjoys roughly 40% support amongst Americans and there are precious few pundits who will say he doesn’t have a crack at becoming King Donald I. Putin and Xi are actually quite popular in their homelands. Roughly half the countries in the world are governed by some kind of tin-pot dictator in a brocaded uniform, adoring crowds chanting their names, and not everybody in the crowd is faking it.
Virtually every despotism draws its power from a clever but unoriginal blend of doctrinaire mythology and other lies, deals made with and amongst the privileged, and fear. Whether Iran’s Islamic Republic, Putin’s Russia, or some steamy and obscure jungle capital, the man at the top calls all the shots in exchange for providing an immoral minority with perks and privilege, and they in turn look the other way at his excesses and share in his lies. But if that doesn’t work, they’ll throw you in prison and torture you.
More often than not there is a version of the doctrine of Divine Right of Kings in play, Church and State comfortably in bed together. Whether the Ayatollah, Patriarch Kirill, or Pastor Jeffress, religious leaders happily parlay their supposed tightness with God into direct or indirect political power. Of course, at most, only one of them can be right.
Government of the people, by the people, and for the people is a precious and delicate flower, hated by those who see government as just another business venture or a ticket to wealth and privilege. Whether the young women of Iran or the courageous people of Ukraine, let us celebrate those who are willing to pay the ultimate price for freedom.