What Might the Future Hold for You?

 

What Might the Future Hold for You

I am 78 years old and, like many men, still don’t know what I want to do when I grow up.

If, however, you are less advanced than me, have you thought of pursuing a career as a dictator?

I have recently watched “The Son of the Century”, a docudrama on the rise and rise of Benito Mussolini. I concluded that with the right attitude and determination, it is within most people’s grasp to achieve absolute power simply by following a series of essential but uncomplicated rules.

First and foremost, the potents for rebellion and unrest must be obvious and compelling; the general public must have lost faith and trust in elected politicians and the quality of their lives is withering on the vine.

At this point, it is vital that you publicly and forcefully agree with the prevailing political unrest, accuse the ruling party/parties of incompetence and corruption and, of course avoid any obligation to provide evidence to support your assertions.

Finally, and most importantly, you must tell people that, with you in power, their lives will be transformed and their demands met.

NB: In reality, your seeming concern for the welfare of the people is a sham and they, like your apparent principles, are no more than a means to an end.

In further preparation for your quest for power it is vital you acknowledge the fact that there will be some individuals and groups who wish to thwart your quest for power. These challengers must be dealt with expeditiously and with extreme force.

Accordingly, it is imperative that you gather around you a small but growing cadre of devoted followers. Their loyalty must be unquestioning and their duty will be to disrupt, intimidate and suppress any opposition; squeamishness is a recipe for failure and must not be tolerated.

Through such actions you will impose yourself on the public consciousness and inspire both fear and respect – a must for any aspiring dictator. By maintaining and increasing your strategy of intimidation, mainstream political parties will become discomfited and your support from the public will grow exponentially.

At this point, you will announce, surprisingly, your intention to participate in the next election and thus maintain the illusion of your fidelity to democracy.

If all goes as expected, you will, through the electoral process, gain a majority, assume power and begin the process of dismantling what remains of the structures of democracy.

You will install your supporters in the police, enlarge and militarize your personal militia and take control of the executive and judiciary through the maintenance intimidation, suppression of all opposition and, finally, achieve absolute power.

Finally, a word of warning, you must never relax. The maintenance of power requires you keep your foot on the neck of the people – remember their fear is your friend.

Inevitably, over time, you will overreach yourself – all dictators do, it’s the nature of the beast. Your end, therefore will be sudden and violent.

So with this in mind, make hay. For as long as you are in power you will control all that survey; you will become as rich as Croesus; you will have achieved your life’s ambition and your place in history is assured.

What else could you want? A little longer on earth?

We’ve all got to die sometime and let’s face it, most of us don’t get to decide when that might be anyway.

Je ne regrette rien !