The joke that the “leader” is in on is the fact that what is most often called power is not
human power. Throughout most of the non-human world, power belongs to the dominant force;
eat or be eaten is the general rule. But among some non-human animals there is the beginning
recognition of another way of doing things. That is, conflicts are often worked out through the
use of negotiation and ritual.
Human power is not something one can own; it is something one can participate in as one
recognizes one’s bodily, communal situation. The people who glory in their possession of power
are living in a delusion; the first heart attack may bring them to reality. The very young, the very
old and the sick are stubborn reminders that human life is surrounded by dependence.