The Power of the Powerless

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How did the communist system sustain itself in Russia and much of Eastern Europe for three decades?

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney answered this question with a short story in his recent address to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The story comes from an essay by Czech dissident Vaclav Havel, who later became the country’s president, called “The Power of the Powerless.” The setting of the story is Communist Czechoslovakia, predecessor to the Czech Republic.

“Every morning, a shopkeeper places a sign in his window: "Workers of the world, unite!" He doesn't believe it. No one does. But he places the sign anyway to avoid trouble, to signal compliance, to get along. And because every shopkeeper on every street does the same, the system persists.”

"Living Within a Lie"

So, says Carney (no relation), it’s not only through violence that communism sustained itself, but “through the participation of ordinary people in rituals they privately know to be false. Havel called this 'living within a lie.' The system's power comes not from its truth but from everyone's willingness to perform as if it were true.

“It seems that every day we're reminded that we live in an era of great power rivalry, said Carney. "That the rules-based order is fading. That the strong can do what they can, and the weak must suffer what they must.”

This, seems to me, is playing out on a national and international level. The phrases “Right makes right” and “the end justifies the means” sums it up.

So, how does all this affect people who are searching for God?

If we're trying to "do God's will," we must understand that God is not about power, even though we often refer to the “all-powerful God.” How do we know this? Because the principal way Christians know God is through his Son and that God was so powerless that he allowed himself to be executed in the cruelest manner.

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Some religious denominations often proclaim the “power of God” in their hymns and services. And we Catholics celebrate the feast of “Christ the King,” which infers an attribute of power, even though Jesus, when standing before Pontius Pilate in Luke’s gospel, seems to reject the title of king.

No, in my view, power – at least in the way the world understands it – is not a good way to describe an attribute of God. So, is there a way to understand power apart from the way the world understands it? If that includes being able to persuade people through faith-filled, rational arguments, I believe so.

Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, NJ recently encouraged religious believers not to turn away from current events and to raise their voices in opposition. He called on faith communities to speak out more forcefully against injustice. He urged Catholics to contact their representatives to oppose additional funding for ICE.

It comes after the fatal shooting of anti-ICE protester Alex Pretti, who was killed in Minneapolis, just a mile from where another protester, Renee Good, was killed earlier this month.

"Moral Vision"

Tobin’s statement comes a week or so after he was joined by two other cardinals, Blase Cupich of Chicago and Robert McElroy of Washington, D.C., who warned that the U.S. needs a “moral vision” in its domestic and international affairs.

Many religious leaders of various faiths have issued similar statements.

 

Is this merely fluff from people who have no real power? That would echo the famous cynical question that Joseph Stalin is said to have put to Winston Churchill, “How many (military) divisions does the Pope have?” indicating that in his view, the pope was powerless.

 

Fortunately, the pope and other religious and organizational leaders have moral authority and often the platform to use it. And all of us have the power to work for change – such as taking Cardinal Tobin’s suggestion to contact our representative – and through our votes.