William Henley begins his famous poem Invictus as follows:
“Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul”
Henley had his leg amputated and later spent 20 months in an infirmary in order to save his second leg from amputation. The circumstances of his life surely taught him how to overcome adversity. He was determined to have an unconquerable soul.
He concluded Invictus with the proclamation:
“I am the master of my fate,
I am the Captain of my soul”
Personal sovereignty requires the adoption of that proclamation. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a sovereign as one that exercises supreme authority within a limited sphere. The first sphere of sovereignty has to be at the individual level.
Repeat the refrain “I am the master of my fate.” Personal sovereignty requires breaking the bonds that eliminate freedom. A sovereign knows that he is in charge. Personal sovereignty requires the development of an “unconquerable soul.” Every individual has the right to exercise supreme authority in their personal life. Do not yield that sovereignty lightly for once it is gone it is hard to regain.
At times others will try to claim your sovereignty. This can take many forms and the motivations will vary. In the pursuit of power others will try to coerce you into surrendering your sovereignty. Others will try to trick you into ceding sovereignty in the name of lust or pleasure. Blinded by hatred or distracted by cunning snares an individual may lose a level of sovereignty.
Every individual is born with personal sovereignty which bestows every individual with the freedom to choose their own path. Find the aspects of your life that limit your abilities and plan ways to reassert your sovereignty. Do not yield to those who would teach you that you have no value. You are the master of your fate. You are the sovereign in charge.
William Wilberforce has been called an agitator for his commitment to ending the slave trade. One of his well known speeches on the subject was given on May 12, 1789.
Cardinal Richelieu has been hailed as a great statesman and as a subversive authoritarian. Depending on who you talk to he was a man needed to strengthen the monarchy in France, or he was a tyrant seeking personal power. Next week I will have a book review that may shed more light on Cardinal Richelieu.
When Lenin was working on his major writing projects he would often pace across the room formulating the ideas that he would write down by saying them out loud. Once he had the idea for what he wanted to write he would often repeat the idea to Nadezhda Krupskaya, who would provide feedback. Once this process was complete he would then write the ideas down.
Here is an AI rendering of what that might have looked like when he was drafting What is to be Done.
This month this community will focus on political subversion. What is subversion? When is it justified? What is the interplay between subversion and agitation? These are some of the topics to be discussed this month.
“You get used to the despot’s shortcomings, when they are not great vices, and the change of an autocratic ruler leads to involuntary fear.”
Sergei Trubetskoi
