How fortunate we are that our rulers possess infinite wisdom, impeccable morals, and an unwavering dedication to the public good. Imagine, if you dare, a world where they were instead driven by greed, folly, or hypocrisy—what an absurd spectacle that would be! Picture, if you can, leaders who preach restraint while hoarding fortunes, speak of liberty while forging new chains, and profess peace while reveling in the thunder of war. But let us not indulge in such scandalous fantasies.
Consider, for example, the modern statesman, that tireless champion of the common man. Behold how he emerges from his humble chateau, his palatial townhouse, or his private jet to remind the huddled masses that he, too, feels their suffering. See how he clutches his heart and weeps for the impoverished—while ensuring their wages remain ever so competitive (that is to say, low). How he decries the influence of money in politics—while raising vast sums from those most in need of governmental kindness. Surely, it would be impolite to point out the contradiction.
And what of our noble warriors for democracy? The modern world is blessed with those who understand that freedom, like a delicate flower, must be nurtured with the occasional carpet bombing. How uplifting to witness the great crusaders of justice bestow enlightenment upon distant lands—not through discourse or diplomacy, but through the subtle persuasions of aerial bombardment and economic strangulation! It would, of course, be churlish to ask why such gifts of destruction are never offered to despots who sell us their oil or manufacture our goods. Surely, some tyrannies are simply more tyrannical than others.
And what joy it is to watch the luminaries of moral progress, the virtuous keepers of truth, tirelessly rooting out the evils of the past while constructing new evils of their own! How righteously they condemn oppression—while swiftly silencing all who question their methods. How boldly they erase words, rewrite histories, and banish the impure! For what is free thought if not the noble art of deciding which thoughts must not be entertained?
One might ask whether our leaders are philosophers or jesters, servants or masters, liberators or jailers. But such a question would be most inappropriate. Indeed, let us continue to trust in the unerring wisdom of our rulers, and let us banish the preposterous notion that they are, after all, only human—no wiser, no nobler, and no less self-interested than those they govern.
To doubt would be impolite. To question, dangerous. To defy? Unthinkable.