Unfortunately, dreams of unity like this seldom come to fruition because of the complex dynamics that seem beyond human control. Why do leaders fail to facilitate unity even if they hold significant political and economic power?
Noam Chomsky reminds us that real power does not reside in the political system but in the private economy, where the decisions are made about what is produced and what is consumed, where investment should occur, who is employed and who controls resources. If private economy rules and capital is in the hands of the few, real democracy is not possible. It is money and not political power that is central to societies today. Keeping the ‘rich’ happy is the primary objective. Consequently, the nature of power is universally corruptive, and many situations remind us of Lord Acton’s quote, ‘Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’
Understanding power is to observe what a particular entity, such as a government, corporation or institution, tends to do with the power they have (political and economic) so that it can be exposed and called on to be accountable in the case of illegal or unethical behaviour. No leader or group of leaders is sacrosanct if they allow human greed and destructiveness to replace self-sacrifice, courage, and integrity in leading people.
Seeking power is a fundamental characteristic of human beings. People feel helpless and miserable if they deem themselves powerless. However, when leaders become power-hungry, they are a danger to other people, especially if such power is obtained through fake congeniality and charisma, accompanied by a subtle mix of slyness and deviousness. As scholars and practitioners of peace, we continuously broaden our knowledge of how leaders apply power in response to the needs of the society they are supposed to serve. According to Abraham Lincoln ‘Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.’
Few expectations are more challenging than a group, organisation and society calling on leaders to facilitate and maintain a state of unity, implying that leaders should inspire harmonious relationships, general agreement, and cordial cooperation among individuals or groups. Unity is about coming together as a whole, sharing common goals, and working together to achieve them.
Empowering leaders to create and manage unity is essential. Without power, leadership and managers do not have the freedom of action to propose or negotiate changes in legislation or policies and cannot leverage strategy or inspire projects that will bring peaceful coexistence.
Today, we should ask ourselves what our political rulers and business leaders do with the power given to them by legitimate means, such as through democratic elections, ethical business practices or cultural traditions. The dream and good intentions of unity can never be realised if wielders of political power encourage divisionary thinking, use language that creates hateful relationships and promote inequality and other rifts between people through their actions or inactions. Every day, we see leaders resorting to the massacre of whole communities under the pretence of national security and leaving millions of people disempowered to live in poverty and despair.
A Guest Editorial