Huainanzi - Entry 71

Trey Smith

When leadership is established to unify the people, if the leadership is consistent, there is order, and if the leadership is inconsistent, there is disorder.
~ a passage from The Book of Leadership and Strategy by Thomas Cleary ~

If you think about it, this a point I try to highlight again and again with my posts on politics and current events. There is so much dissension in this country and throughout the world because of a lack of consistency.

There are different sets of rules for different people. The well-to-do are governed by rules that are liberal and even lax. The middle class is afforded some leeway, but not much. And the poor are governed by rules -- promulgated by the rich -- which are very strict and provide almost no leeway whatsoever.

The inconsistency of leadership has led to anger and dismay. When people grow extremely frustrated, their emotions tend to flare. They easily can be manipulated by demagogs and hucksters who try to convince them that certain scapegoats, not their leaders, are the cause of their ongoing misery.

To read the introduction to this ongoing series, go here.