Benevolent Dictator

In this episode, I discuss “the benevolent dictator that people want”. Not limited to human form, this benevolent dictator can just as easily be a challenging life event that forces one to change and adapt as it can be a person that comes into one’s life suddenly and without one’s full consent, challenging one’s assumptions and forever changing the person.

Sometimes, people and events can enter one’s life unexpectedly. This can be scary and they sometimes break things that one might have considered valuable. And they can even lead to one feeling powerless as everything they hold dear is seemingly destroyed. But oftentimes, these forceful people or events have an even more valuable lesson to teach one than the things that had to be destroyed for that lesson to be taught. I call these sorts of people and events benevolent dictators because they force positive change upon you, even if they have to drag one kicking and screaming.

I go into a few examples from my own life and leave the line open for listeners to send me an email describing any of their own experiences with benevolent dictators, either as the person to be changed, or the one doing the changing.

In spite of the value of a benevolent dictator, I point out that our civilization is going more towards individualism, leading to less opportunities to experience the phenomenon, but I conclude that this is not necessarily a bad thing, because life is inherently unpredictable and all attempts to isolate ourselves are foiled in the end regardless. Also, there are many other reasons (not discussed in this episode) why I think this trend towards individualism and personal sovereignty is a good thing overall. Nevertheless, it is valuable to surrender to the lesson that the benevolent dictator is trying to teach you from time to time.