The Radio says, what marks us out in terms of our phenomenal success, evolution-wise, isn’t standing up on two legs, control of fire or the use of tools, but the ability to form complex social structures. In other words, understanding where you are in a hierarchy and behaving accordingly, indeed, each doing his part. It’s an interesting idea, one that sounds positive and intelligent and, if involvement in such structures is undertaken on a consensual basis, not necessarily at odds with the familiar concept that all men are created equal.
Equality within a hierarchy might seem like a contradiction in terms, and it probably is, overall, but philosophically, theoretically, it would seem possible, even desirable, to have both functioning in unison. Every man plays his part, is treated equally, and the whole turns out to be greater than the sum of its parts. The problems begin with ego and that peculiarly human tendency to believe one’s own publicity.
It's the 'I believe I have greatness in me but no one else seems to notice' effect. I can believe it’s frustrating because recognition opens doors and makes some aspects of life easier, giving greater autonomy. Remaining unrecognised, life stretches out ahead as a conveyor belt of duties, an endless line of unwashed dishes. It is impossible, or, at the very least dull and unwieldy, to recognise everyone in a hierarchy equally, so the leader(s) usually get the plaudits. Therefore, you must be a leader in your field to really benefit from any team-built success. This will be hard work, for if it were easy, surely everyone would do it. So you must be better than your peers...better than my peers...better than my peers...
As the echo fades, I’m not in Kansas anymore, I’ve talked myself out of it, anything for an easy life. Hang on a second, what was that about hard work? Am I getting in a muddle? Perhaps not, a spell of hard work with a clear aim in view is not all that hard. Once you're up there, the effort switches to maintaining the status quo and that’s what I mean by an easy life. Apart from anything I have to actually do, I can also rely on a bit of smoke and mirrors to keep my status. If I put on an expensive suit, drive a fancy car, walk and talk in a confident and particular way this will help to drive home the feeling of inferiority of the masses. In essence, all I have to do is look the part and they’ll let me have it.
Everybody knows where they were on 9/11 and when listening to a recent programme about political power it didn’t surprise me to hear that the Cabinet Secretary at the time wasn’t available to make a decision about evacuating Downing Street when the situation developed, because he was out to lunch. It was two going on three o’clock over here and like most people my age I was hard at work. Of course there may have been extenuating circumstances for the Minister, a late morning meeting or some such thing, but in our wider social hierarchy, if I’d known about this at that time, I wouldn’t have felt equal to him. I would have imagined him guzzling fine wine in a discreet Westminster restaurant. I would have imagined it with equal measures of resentment and envy. Who wouldn’t like to still be out to lunch at three on a Tuesday?
It’s a very one-sided view based on a simple observation and I apologise to the public servant if I have got him all wrong. I’m sure he couldn’t care less but, all things being equal, it’s the right thing to do. In any case, the specifics are irrelevant, what’s important is the principle and that is when you achieve status, life gets easier and preserving the status quo then matters more than it did before.
This week people have taken to camping in The City, outside St Pauls Cathedral, protesting against corruption in government and banking institutions. As far as I know, there is no one of any reportable status down there (sic) and the protestors have thrown themselves on the mercy of the Church, who, I guess, own the land they’re camping on. It’s hard to be anything other than sympathetic. Someone’s got to stand up for the common man, but where are our leaders when they are needed? Still out to lunch?
