The prospect of seeking, harnessing, and wielding power is tantalizing. It makes for thrilling stories with righteous heroes who battle cunning supervillains. It’s also the basis of well-understood historical moments that reigned terror and hardship on humanity for generations. Even today, the self-serving use of power is on full display in wartorn nations. The outcomes are real, but the concept of power is purely fictional. 

Today, the world will witness a transfer of governmental power in the United States. A president and their staff will leave office, while another will simultaneously step in. Our nation has been performing this task for nearly two-hundred-fifty years with increasing fanfare and anxiety. The more polarizing and extreme the reforms over the previous administration, the more our political system experiences shock and undermines the concept of stable governance and unity.

The authority of a President to dictate resources and military forces is detailed in the Constitution, but their power does not derive from it. Power is presumed because it’s given by a society that chooses to be subjugated by it. In the classical sense, politics is not about power but managing the affairs of the cities and their people. Politicians – within their intended purpose in a democracy – are servants to the public for their collective good. 

The will to exercise authority is a mirage because power is arbitrarily created, given, or taken. Authority retains its presumed mandate only when those who gave it power continue to operate under the presupposition that it exists or is necessary for their survival. True power is not based on privilege or centralized authority but on humility and decentralized energy. 

Increasingly, our society falls prey to promoting, electing, and giving false power to individuals who take on the persona of a righteous leader, policymaker, or self-proclaimed “dictator on day one.” From politics to corporations, as our social systems struggle to adapt to a changing world, people often seek false saviors who claim to offer hard and fast solutions by exchanging their freedom for power over their lives. Uncertain times create the conditions for panic, confusion, and disempowerment. The courage to pursue the difficult work of pluralistic and collective decision-making in moments of crisis is rarely popular and never easy but necessary for a vibrant and sustainable future.

Our society faces a critical moment in history. Following the exhaustion of a divisive election year, today’s presidential inauguration will be recorded into history just as the ones that came before it. America will have installed an emboldened political savior and strongman who has held the office once before. The unseen days ahead have yet to unfold, but this point in time will surely be remembered as an event that redefined our existence because we chose it to.