42nd Edition
America, in its relatively short history, has never had a dictator. George Washington could have become one, or at least been a monarch of some sort, had he been so inclined, which thankfully for our country, he was not.
Today, there seems to be a debate about whether a dictator could ever seize control of our country. Seems ridiculous on the surface, but I thought I would dig a little deeper into that question in this edition.
To begin, history has produced numerous infamous dictators, led by Hitler, Stalin, Mao Zedong, Attila the Hun, and Ivan the Terrible. Millions of people died during their brutal reigns.
It is important to state that these dictators didn’t start out with noble intentions only to get sidetracked in some fashion. They were rotten to the core right from the start. In contrast, history has produced multiple “benevolent dictators.” People who ruled autocratically but are still credited with accomplishing good things during their reign. Some are relatively unknown and have strange names like Ashoka, Ataturk, and Tito. These leaders improved the lives of their countrymen in many areas. Ashoka, who ruled in India during the Mauryan Dynasty, is believed to the be the first ruler to end slavery. Ataturk, who ruled in Turkey from 1922 – 1938, was responsible for giving women universal voting rights in 1934. Tito, the leader of Yugoslavia, fought the Nazis during WWII. These three and other benevolent dictators were responsible for improving education, literacy, health care, and individual rights. In some cases they dramatically improved economic development as well as human and animal rights, while decreasing poverty. Even Russia has had one, Catherine the Great, who ruled from 1762 to 1796, and is credited with education reform including opening the first education institute for girls. What’s not to like about dictators like that?
Would a benevolent dictator be a good thing for the U.S. today? Would it end all the polarization, Washington D.C. gridlock, and put an end to the broken two-party political system? Would it strengthen and broaden the promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Those might be hopeful thoughts, but totalitarianism, in any form, is not the way forward. History has proven that many times over.
Back to the beginning… We should all be thankful that our Founding Fathers, who were intent upon preventing any possibility of totalitarianism, decided to go in a different direction. To their credit, they rightly determined that limited government, with three distinct branches, would provide checks and balances to ensure individual rights and prevent tyranny. What they created was a republic, and it was the greatest accomplishment in the history of man. The Founders also realized that a republic could only survive if there was some underlying sense of morality. If we lose that, the survivability of the republic declines. In its place comes disorder, mistrust, and civil unrest. As trust erodes and hope fades, it is natural that the notion of a benevolent dictator would emerge. Is that where we are today? That is one scary question, but one that we have to face.
Back in March of last year I wrote a blog about mandatory political service for the best of the best. Perhaps the time has come for such a program. I’ll nominate the first two candidates – Bill Belichick and Nick Saban. As I write this edition, both are out of a job. Perhaps they could be persuaded to serve? They could run as a team, Saban for President and Belichick as VP. The former as the great communicator and motivator, and the latter as the brilliant policy wonk. Compared to the current candidates, would that ticket not win in a landslide!?
Sometime in the future, if historians write about the Decline and End of the American Republic, it will have occurred for two reasons. First, we will have completely lost our moral compass and code of honor. Relativism will have completely replaced objective truth. Selfishness and abject indifference will have replaced personal integrity. Tribalism will have replaced a commitment to community and civic responsibility. Second, there will be a long line of ineffective, dishonorable, political leaders. It is simply imperative that we find better leaders at the national level for our republic to survive.
In the meantime, what can anyone do? We can share God’s love with grace and humility in our homes and communities, and hopefully with whoever crosses our path. A dedication to service before self would reset our country’s moral compass that seems a bit off. In this process, we will discover the power of servant leadership, which would make the notion or fear of a dictator, even a benevolent one, ruling the United States of America, preposterous.
Please help me grow my readership by forwarding this to a friend(s). In the meantime, say tuned for my next newsletter. Thanks
Michael Kayes
*These views are my personal opinions and are not the viewpoints of any company or organization.