Milgram’s War with Authority

I find myself returning to Milgram, his experiment was extremely important for answering the question ‘why do good people do nothing’

I felt inspired to write this poem as I explored the core of the power of abuse.  I realised it is unchecked power.  I realised the importance of speaking up in families, in communities, in societies, in business, in government, in national parliaments and globally.  We serve the other when we speak up, it helps to check power.  How many deluded leaders have we seen, so consumed by power as those around them say ‘yes’ but in the end they are deposed and they crumble fast, as they never had real power.  Real power is not in what is valued in dollar terms or prestige it resides in universal virtues.  I have come to realise this is true.  The power of love is the most powerful force, in truth it is not force, it is allowing of all that is.  You will see this when you do the inner work on peace, you realise resistance simply holds things that you don’t want in place, when you envisage what you do want and allow, it comes naturally.  The force of power over others is the weakest in the universe, yet fear holds what is feared in place.  People give their power away when they believe they have no power – you can see the simple truth in that statement.  The reverse is true, when you believe you have power, then that is precisely what you have.  That power will arise when people are told to do things that run against their conscience, if they have strong inner values/virtues (universal) they will not be controlled, if they do not have strong values they will put their trust in authority.  That is why fear has been successful in getting people to do what is wanted, they are in fear and they look to authority to make life safe.  In truth if they go against conscience they betray themselves, the anger that may be seen is really a reflection of their anger with themselves, as they betrayed themselves.  It is the highest betrayal.  It can often been seen in guilt and anger, the war within I call it.

You are of value beyond your understanding.  The truth sets you free.

Here is the poem I wrote inspired by Milgram.  For background see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcvSNg0HZwk

MILIGRAM’S WAR WITH AUTHORITY

Milgram’s experiment,

Explores the unquestioned obedience to authority,

Giving authority to obey,

For power knows better,

And you have no say,

Simply do as you are told,

Press the electric shock when he gets it wrong,

For conscience is partitioned behind walls of compliance,

For defiance of authority experiments with the truth,

That sets all free.

Democracy arose from debate,

To check the balance of power,

It emerged from the unchecked power

of dictators,

Dictating feuds, fiefdoms and overlords,

Whose creed is ‘do as I say’

For the ruler was an absolute fraud,

And death was resolute at the end of a chord,

A structural violence,

Silencing dissenting voices whose crime was in choosing

The conscience of inner authority over …

Blind obedience in slavery to outer authority,

As the fight of light and dark,

For the kingdom of dominion,

Some call god.

The school yard bullying,

Is the authority who wants to be obeyed,

A glee club of supporters forms his power base,

As they applaud his brutality in class,

For those silent and scared,

Are ridiculed, tarred and barred from social inclusion,

As they sit alone,

They bare the brunt of projected abuse that knows no checks

nor balance,

Excising power from honour,

As denial is not a river in Egypt,

It is the spectacle that blocks the flow,

Failing to see the log,

In his own eye.

In the family,

In the community,

In the organisation,

Unchecked power knows no levy,

It breaches the banks,

Knows no boundary,

Adopts no principle nor moral codes,

To guide behaviour,

As they step over boundaries in search of power lines,

For their addiction is insatiable,

Appetite is unassailable,

For they resent those capable,

As threats to superiority.

Honest fools will be undermined,

Manipulated,

Castrated and made impotent,

As the sand shifts,

The tides turn,

The light burns,

As insight is blindsided by arrogance and ego,

To stay below holds no protection for there is nowhere to hide,

As projection makes it hard for you to stay,

The psychological game plays outside the rules,

The chess game manoeuvres towards check mate of rulers,

Democracy is the pawn that has no place holder in the game,

As the Queen returns to castle the King,

As life is a strategy not a river that flows,

Self-interest is the name of the game,

And what you own builds prestige.

Power is not in virtue it is in value,

And what you choose to value defines you,

So if you don’t play the game,

You will be isolated and sidelined,

Maligned as somehow wanting,

For truth is always the first casualty

Of war.