17      Unnoticed Ruler

The supreme rulers are hardly known by their subjects.

The lesser are loved and praised.

The even lesser are feared.

The least are despised.

Those who show no trust will not be trusted.

Those who are quiet value words. When their task is completed, the people will say: We did it ourselves.

Unnoticed Ruler

History should have taught us that noisy rulers usually end by ravaging the country. Still, we tend to fall for them when they rise. We should always look for modesty in our leaders, and moderation in their use of power. Those who seek triumph are indifferent to what they need to trample on in order to reach it.

            Nowadays, we have a chance to elect our leaders by voting. We don’t always have excellent candidates to choose between, but we are still much better off than those countless past generations stuck with kings whose only merit was that they were sons of kings. Inheriting power rarely breeds the proper respect for it.

            Lao Tzu gives a clear order of leadership qualities. The same ladder can be used as an indicator of how those leaders safeguard their position. The most prominent leaders are satisfied to do their work without receiving any praise for it. They don’t even care if they are known, or if they will be remembered after their time in office. The leaders with slightly less prominence make sure that they are loved and appreciated. That’s far less noble, but it’s still a kind of guarantee that they will do their best to please the people they rule, and protect the land they control. Only benevolence inspires love, and only a job well done wins praise.

            Much worse are the leaders who guard their power by threats and force, scaring people into submission. Unfortunately, this is not that difficult, history shows us, so such leaders are not rare, and they tend to remain in power for far too long. Fear, as Lao Tzu has already explained above, is everywhere. Therefore it is easy to find and to stimulate. Those who want to indulge in power tend to prefer it, because it makes their power evident as well as impressive. But it is fragile power, since those ruled by it only wish for it to end.

            A feared leader is still not the worst, Lao Tzu tells us. Such a leader can still be admired, and the people is excused for not revolting. The worst one is despised, having no merit in the eyes of his people. This is worse than fear, because it leads to shame – both for the leader, and even more so for the people, since they allow themselves to be ruled by someone they cannot respect. It’s a reign of disgrace, risking to bring the most splendid and refined country into decay.

            What Lao Tzu says about rulers is true also for all kinds of leaders further down in the hierarchy. A boss doesn’t have to be big to bed bad – or good. As soon as someone has the least bit of power over other people, no matter how few they are, the above applies.

            A competent ruler is trusted, and trusts that he receives this trust. Otherwise he feels the need to ascertain his power by other means. But trust is also such that it neither grows nor remains if it’s not mutual. The one who shows trust expects to get it in return, so those who want it must also give it.

            If a trusted leader shows no trust in the people he leads, then soon enough their trust in him will vanish. Rightly so. Someone who expects the worst from others is likely to accept it from himself. He may even use his suspicions to justify his own malice, calling it a precaution or a preemptive strike. Distrust poisons society much quicker than naive faith ever does.

            Words should be used with the same moderation as power. A leader arguing his case abundantly is probably trying to cover its weakness. Rhetoric can be as fine as poetry, but it says very little about the issue at hand. Words are not deeds, so words about deeds give no guarantee as to how they will turn out. This is evident in modern politics, where passionate speeches are a dime a dozen, but still most problems wait for their solutions.

            We would say that action speaks louder than words, but Lao Tzu was no friend of noise. He would rather have the action so discreet that it passed unnoticed, and therefore no words at all were needed.

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