The Illusion of Power

For the fans of the blockbuster series Game of Thrones, let me take you back to the third episode of the second season. It was an exchange between Lord Varys and Tyrion Lannister. In trying to convince Tyrion to play the politics of the throne like others have been doing, Varys threw a riddle at Tyrion - a riddle about the curiosity of power. For those who may have forgotten, and for those who are yet to see the series, let me recapture the scene for you. In Varys' own words:

"...three great men sit in a room - a king, a priest, and a rich man. Between them stands a common sellsword. Each great man bids the sellsword kill the other two. Who lives, who dies?"

Tyrion's response:

"Depends on the sellsword."

Varys then queries:

"Does it? He has neither crown nor gold, nor favour with the gods..."

Then Tyrion interjects:

"He has a sword! The power of life and death"

Varys questions further:

"But if it is the swordsmen who rule, why do we pretend [that] kings hold all the power?"

But his conclusion is the most moving part of the conversation:

"Power resides where men believe it resides. It’s a trick. A shadow on the wall. And a very small man can cast a very large shadow."

Let me break down Tyrion's interjection for you: if Mr. Sellsword happens to be a devout man, he will obey the priest and kill both the king and the rich man. However, if Mr. Sellsword happens to see money as a potent motivator, he will listen to the rich man and kill the king and the priest. Finally, if Mr. Sellsword believes that he is dutybound to obey the king, he is going to kill the priest and the rich man.

Point? It doesn’t matter how powerful the king, the priest or the rich man consider themselves to be. Real power lies with the one whose influence the Sellsword believes. It is up to the Sellsword at this point to make a call about who should live and who should die.

The sellsword here is ultimately a representation of the people. So it really is in the hands of the people to decide who they believe in. No authority can hope to sustain power if the people do not believe in them. Power is only found where men are made to believe it is. For so long, they have made us believe that the power resides with them. But if you critically think about it, what power does any politician really have? They cannot personally force you to do anything. No politician can go out forcing his or her decisions on an entire country. A law is enforced because a number of institutions agree to obey and enforce it. So a politician’s power is subject to this agreement and the belief that they should be making decisions. Even if that politician happens to be a very small, physically weak or terminally ill person.

The only institution with any real power is one that can use the might of its arms to enforce its will - the institution of "the people". In that GoT episode, that would be the swordsman that Lord Varys was referring to. No matter what each man thought of himself, the sellsword would have been the one to determine his fate. The will of one man should never outweigh the will of a multitude. What one man wants should never be greater than what many people need.

Real power is subjective. You don't need to be really powerful to be seen as powerful. The power you wield is based largely on people's opinion of you. So if people think you should "live", so it should be. The problem however lies with the people, because they do not realise the enormity of the power that they possess. Just like the sellsword, all that is needed is to point out who deserves our faith and our mandate. I really look forward to the time when people will realise where the true power lies - in their own hands.