560. Politics

When a village is raided by thieves in a big group, it is not the sages in the village or the scholars who come to defend the people. Nor is it the most honest of men. He who defends the village will be a leader of several bold men who risk their lives.  Such men will obey a real hero, a hero in a fight. He will be a muscle man of immense courage. The next item on the agenda is that hero will become the head of the village. Before civilisation invaded humanity, it was robber barons who ruled. Even after that, only they ruled. They were the saviours of nations and therefore in their right became the rulers. They were not men of virtue, but men of courage and leadership. As recently as 1947, one of the Princes who ruled over his state had more than a hundred wives. All of them had children totalling over five hundred. The Prince religiously met all his children once a year in a gathering . He could remember all their names.

During times of peace, these kings enjoyed life as they wished, not according to any code. With a robber baron at the head, we do not expect angels in the rank and file. No one can justify their ways of life, but they are understandable. When Akbar was a mere lad, he was challenged to cut off a man's head at one stroke. Someone who was then passing by the palace was a victim to that test. The rulers were a law unto themselves for a long time, at least a good number of them. Democracy distributed the political power to all. Power in the hands of raw human emotions will be used as power alone can do - brutally. It was said politics is the last refuge of scoundrels. Sometimes politics is replaced by patriotism, as one famous historian has recently done.

When the nation is threatened at the borders, only men of leadership and courage can defend the population, not sophisticated administrators or the Press that sets standards of virtue in public life. Even in 2004 AD, this aspect of politics is not absent. The positive side of great leadership has the negative side of life that harbours scoundrels. If it is not desirable, it is partially inevitable. Prosperity, higher education, assured social context of law and order can in due course mitigate that evil. One characteristic of life is before the flame of the scoundrels is extinguished, it will burn bright for a while. That while may be several decades. For a philosophic view of the life as a WHOLE, this statement is profound - scoundrels' last refuge - because it spotlights the inevitable state of affairs. Still, its profundity is partial.