“The Strong Man” is seductive and alluring. This is my attempt to understand why.
But First, A Note on Gender:
The Strong Man,” I refer to the type of person, generally aggressive, who pushes to get what they want, is particularly self-serving, and loathes to show any type of vulnerability whatsoever.
The Strong Man is not gender specific. This type of personality can be embodied by a man or a woman. For example, Jezebel comes to mind as a female fitting this character type. She rules (alongside a generally ineffective husband) without regard for anyone other than herself. Even as she faces death, she sneers at her challenger (Jehu) and belittles him, refusing to acknowledge any possibility of defeat, refusing to humble herself. (2 Kings 9:30-31).
With that said, I will stick with The Strong Man title for now, acknowledging, again, that this could be any gender.
Our Cultural Cognitive Dissonance:
The Minions movie shows a group of small yellow beings that have worshipped The Strong Man from the beginning of time. Whether it is the prehistoric large fish, the T-Rex, or the modern super villain, they worship the biggest, strongest, predator.
I would argue our culture tends to do the same. We want the person who will get results. We watch movies like The God Father, The Good Fellas, and The Sopranos (these examples are dated, but you get the gist) secretly wishing we could bend others to our will as they do.
Yet, at the same time, in other ways, our culture shuns this same type of character. We demand draconian criminal laws; in movies, we are bristled by the “bad guy,” who has wronged our hero, preferring, instead, to cheer as Mel Gibson’s Braveheart brutally kills those that mercilessly massacred his family.
Therefore, it would seem, culturally, we suffer some form of cognitive dissonance. A part of us loves The Strong Man, who tells us everything will be alright if we just give them the power they desire. For our part, we want to submit our will to theirs and be free, because sometimes it’s easier to escape, to live in a state of inertia and helplessness, to bury our heads in the sand. Because, let’s face it, adulting is HARD!!
Relying on The Strong Man, one doesn’t have to face their discomfort, determine the underlying reason for the discomfort, or consider how to resolve it. One can, instead, put their faith in the seemingly fearless leader they have chosen and move on.
Of course, on the other hand, The Strong Man’s tactics are often disquieting.
Are We Ready For A Different Kind of Leadership?
The antithesis of The Strong Man is a leader that is willing to show vulnerability. That type of leader is admits when they are wrong and accepts responsibility. He or she is thoughtful in their approach to problem solving and seeks out long-term solutions instead of costly short-term solutions.
I don’t know about you, but this all sounds good to me. Yet, for most of us (myself included), these are not characteristics we associate with leaders. We choose, instead, what we have been taught to choose, and we remain disappointed.
Consider Samuel’s warning to the Israelites insisting they be given a king:
“These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. He will take one-tenth of your grain and your vineyards and give it to his officers and courtiers. He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves…”—1 Samuel 8:10-18
If We Want Different Results, We Must Take Different Actions
I do not blame The Strong Man. The Strong Man does what he or she does out of self-interest.
If we want different leaders, we must first challenge our own thinking. In other words, this is not a them problem; it is an us problem.
It is easy to beat someone into submission; it is easy to command allegiance through fear. It is a far more difficult and time-consuming task to work through conflict. Likewise, it is harder to accept and admit when we cannot control other people, places, and things. Both require a level of engagement and reflection that we seem to lack as a society.
Parting Thoughts
We can keep doing what we’ve been doing, or we can refocus our attention on modeling acceptance, on setting realistic expectations, and on seeking out thoughtful solutions to complex problems. A tall order, no doubt, but one that is very much possible.
