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What I Learned from Government - it’s time to stay engaged

November 5th, 2008 | High Calling Blogs, blogging, highcallingblogs.com, writing

Robert Hruzek asked high calling bloggers and middle zone muse-ers to write about what we learned from government.

After a bit of research, I’ve learned that government should not about power but control. There’s a difference. Thankfully, the American government has once again peacefully transferred control from one leader to another. Beginning today a newly reshuffled government is already charting our country’s course for the next four years.

I use a sailing metaphor on purpose. According to my superlative dictionary (the OED), the word “government” comes to us through old French from the Latin guberno. Latin I used to teach Latin, so this sort of thing brings back fond memories of students wearing togas and reciting Caesar.

Guberno means to steer. Steering a Roman ship was no small task, even the small navis lusoria. This video makes it look easy, but as Publius Cyrus said in the first century, “Anyone can steer the ship when the sea is calm.”

According to some of the material I read, early Roman ships didn’t have rudders as we understand them. (They had quarter rudders.) Practically speaking, this meant that the pilot/gubernator was not just sitting at the till. He was shouting commands to the oarsmen to steer through their combined efforts. The gubernator alone had little power to change the ship’s direction. Only when the oarsmen listened to his voice and followed his lead, could the ship reach its destination.

No matter what the weather, a good gubernator would give good instructions and steer the ship well.

An ineffective gubernator was another matter. In calm weather, he might slow things down a bit. In harsh weather, he could lead everyone to a watery grave.

That’s government. The word itself contains a picture of what it means. Good government steers the efforts of a people—directing their spirit and will and strength. The primary source of power lies with the people.
Without our cooperation and support and (dare I say it?) continued engagement, the government has very little power. It can sit and twist its rudder all day long to little effect.

We need people to be engaged in the world—working, listening, acting, and responding to our leaders. Whatever we think of the gubernator, he’s setting the vision. If we don’t listen and respond, we go nowhere.

But if we listen… if we engage… if we take responsibility for our lives and our families and our work and our goals and our hopes and our faith and our future…

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