“As leaders can only lead with the consent of those led, however grudging that might be, the Divine can only guide us if we are willing to be guided.”
–Aphorism 7
Whatever your view on theology, it is clear that the Divine, however we conceive of it, is limited. If you believe in an omnipotent God, then this limitation is clearly self-imposed, for whatever reason. If one believes in a God that is good, one can only assume that it cannot or will not interfere in the world to maximise happiness (unless you go with the “best of all possible worlds” argument, which I always found sophistic). Other conceptions of the Divine are more obviously limited.
By analogy, this aphorism expresses one of those limitations – that while we can put our lives under the ordering of the Spirit, we have to be willing to do so. In fact, while it is not stated in the aphorism, I would go further – we have to work to do so. The Divine may be trying to speak to us all the time, but it cannot reach us without an open heart, or perhaps an open soul, and for most if not all of us, that takes work and practice. We have to learn to quiet the loud voices of our selves to hear the still small voice of God.
Some might take issue with the basis of the analogy – that leadership requires the consent of those led – even if you accept the conclusion. That is not really what this post is about, but I will say this – a person can always choose not to follow instructions or orders. They merely have to be ready to face the consequences. Of course, that’s not always such a ‘mere’ qualification, and I would not rush to judge those who acted wrongly, on the instruction of those with power over them, if the consequences are severe relative to the level of wrongness of the act.
