“Any man who must say I am king is no king at all.” - Tywin Lannister
In the aftermath of a disaster, most people long for someone to be in charge. Even if it’s a small disaster like a car wreck or a house robbery.
“Tell me what to do. Tell me where to go.” The problem with that is that sometimes the one who steps up to tell you exactly what they want you to do isn’t interested in helping you.
In the 2000 scifi film Pitch Black, we meet Carolyn, one of the pilots on a space cargo ship. In this case, her cargo is human and most died when her ship was struck by an asteroid and violently crashed on an unknown planet. Her captain also died, as did her fellow pilot. As the last remaining member of the crew, the few survivors treat her as the leader and look to her for guidance.
But she doesn’t want that role; she’s not comfortable with it. She’s afraid and is relieved when one of the survivors steps forward, giving people orders… assuming the role of leader.
William Johns seems like a guy you can trust. He’s a cop escorting a violent criminal to prison. He is strong, handsome, and understanding when Carolyn confesses to him she tried to flush the cargo hold to save her own life during the crash.
Again, the “cargo” was people. The people who are now stranded on an alien planet with her. Including Johns.
It is her guilt that makes her reticent to be the leader she should be. Her guilt that makes her passive and obedient to Johns.
The problem, of course, is that Johns isn’t a cop at all. He is just dressed like one. He’s actually a mercenary and he stands to make a lot of money from seeing Richard B. Riddick to the supermax prison.
That is the reason Johns is so invested in finding a way off the planet. It’s not to see the survivors safely home. It’s to get his money. And he only needs Riddick for that. The rest of them… excess baggage.
You know you’ve made an error when the serial killer turns out to be more trustworthy than the “cop” you’ve given sensitive information to.
To be fair, even if Carolyn had asserted her authority early on, it’s unlikely Johns would have gone along quietly, even less likely Riddick would have behaved himself. They both had their own agendas, each in opposition to each other. And Carolyn, a woman, is weaker in both her physicality and in her resolve. She can’t go head to head with either of them.
Even at the end, when she finally asserts her role as captain and protector of the final two survivors, Riddick isn’t intimidated by her. He’s not cowed or backed into a corner. He does as she says because… I’m not sure if respect is the right word.
He saw the change in her, the refusal to allow her passengers to die, even if it cost her own life.
“How interesting,” were his exact words.
The thing about leadership is that those who crave it and actively seek it out are often the worst possible candidates.
The guy who throws his status as a cop around whenever he has a minor disagreement with someone
The lady who insists you call her DOCTOR instead of using her first name like a normal person
These are not people interested in responsibility, in long days addressing the needs to those they have power over. They are interested in throwing their weight around and hoarding wealth and influence for themselves.
And we all see these people for the tyrants they are. NO ONE looks at these assholes and says, “Yes, their behavior is right and correct. I will obey them because it is in everyone’s best interest.”
No, people go along with these bullies because they are afraid, either of social ostracism or of being hurt or killed (depending on the stakes).
For low-stakes, it’s always helpful to ask yourself what happens if you say no to this bully? Will there be life-altering consequences like being fired? Or are you submitting to tyranny and bullying just because you want to be universally liked? Or maybe even because you’re so scared of feeling uncomfortable with public confrontation.
Can you live with that? If so, can you live with yourself when you inevitably obey a tyrant when the stakes get higher?
The trope of the regular guy or gal who becomes a hero after a plane crash or in a hostage situation exists for a reason. It can and does happen every day.
Right now, right this VERY SECOND, there are regular men and women on mules, on 4-wheelers, and in helicopters bringing supplies and medical care to people stranded in North Carolina and Tennessee, areas where whole towns have been wiped off the map.
They do this even though tyrants, false leaders with their smug recitation of policies and procedures, threaten these heroes with arrest, imprisonment, and even violence.
These people decided that some fat guy with a piece of tin pinned to his chest doesn’t actually have the authority to order them not to save lives. They have seen who deserves to be followed and listened to, and acted accordingly. And I can promise you, none of those leaders asked for any of this.
But they have taken up the burden thrust upon them, and are doing what they can, which is all any of us can do.
Let you be wary of those who decide they have the right to give you orders. And warier still when they think they can decide who lives or dies.
If you want to help the people whose lives have been endangered by Hurricane Helene, please donate to Samaritan’s Purse.
Was just thinking about this. Authority comes from actual deeds, not assertions of status!
Another great and timely article. I needed this today.