"... As such people achieve
influence within the organization, whenever there is a conflict between their
own interest and the interest of the organization, their interests will win
out... " - Robert Shea
We have all experienced the
‘conflict of interest.’ An unsympathetic ménage et trios where often we are
told one thing by one authority that is blatantly contradicted by another, and
we are left to organize ourselves accordingly. Frustratingly this condition can
occur in the domestic environment, at the work place, even on the larger social
and political stage. This situation has the unique capacity to leave one
feeling vulnerable, as though a cloud of imperceptibility has gathered around
one’s head leaving an impenetrable darkness. What strengths or powers we
previously seemed to possess, are questioned in a triadic battle for supremacy.
It is the one situation for which a meeting of minds seems like the only
solution.
The ancient symbolic
representation of this is the portrayal of two huge and wild oxen locked in
mortal combat. Each respective ox (one black or brown, the other white)
believes it is in the right, fighting for some sort of leadership position.
Perhaps the prize is a herd of delicious females, or a hundred acres of land.
Dominance is the primary factor under question, and in their struggle they
trample the stalks of corn in the field beneath their hooves. These stalks
represent the people. The people are crushed in a contest of ego in epic
proportions. The people can do nothing but bare the brunt of the violence, and
throughout history this has been the case. The people have been burdened by
taxation and threatened by the activities of criminals demanding protection
money, civilians have been bombed by enemy aircraft in a struggle for world dominance,
they have endured the traditional conflict between state and religion, and
lately caught in the battle between the demands of Capitalism seeking profit
and their rights to a system which attempts to administer social justice.
Is there an answer to all of this
havoc and chaos, which consistently disrupts the lives of ordinary folk, or is
it part and parcel of life? Must we turn our heads and cast our fate to the
winds, or is there a legitimate process by which we can all turn for an
equitable conclusion to social and/or political friction? Perhaps the first
step is to recognize that a state of equality is inherently a utopian ideal, as
is any system of social justice. Democracy is not a value-based system which
awards every unique voice the capacity to utter an opinion, but rewards the
richly decorated rhetoric of the few who fight for the highest position in
government. The rewards for reaching the apex of the triangle of power are
mighty; great riches, great honour, and even greater respect. Government
ministers and leaders often behave as though we still lived in a feudal,
monarchistic land. They often behave like master criminals. The solution is to
remind these individuals that this great power is given to them by the people
as a loan, it is we who feed and clothe them, we who provide, by the sweat of
our hands and brows all the structure of society by which they ascend to the
top. We must remind them that like us, they too remain human beings capable of
grand errors of judgment. Without our consent they remain powerless, we must
assert ourselves and our demands that governance is objective and directed for
the good, free of any conflicts of interest. A man (or woman) is elected by the
people for the people, not for any ingenuine self-interest or base profiteering
on the backs of the populace.
All Rights Reserved / Copyright: David John Drew 2013
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