Power and the Role of Individuals in Navigating, Perpetuating, or Resisting Systemic Forces

The Power of the Individual in Systemic Forces

Societies are shaped by systems of power that influence how we think, act, and respond to challenges. Whether in governance, communication, or resilience, understanding the interplay between systemic forces and individual actions is essential. The insights from today’s quotes (see quotes below) provide a lens through which we can explore this dynamic.

Fascism and the Subtlety of Complicity

Robert O. Paxton, in The Anatomy of Fascism, emphasizes the importance of digging down to the level of ordinary people to understand how fascist regimes operate. “To understand fully how fascist regimes worked, we must dig down to the level of ordinary people and examine the banal choices they made in their daily routines.” These “banal choices” often seem insignificant—accepting a lesser evil, averting one’s gaze—but cumulatively, they enable monstrous outcomes.

This observation underscores a central truth: systemic forces thrive on the inertia of everyday actions. Fascist regimes, for example, depend on the demonization of an enemy to mobilize followers. Paxton writes, “Fascists need a demonized enemy against which to mobilize followers, but of course the enemy does not have to be Jewish. Each culture specifies the national enemy.” Recognizing this dynamic challenges us to question the narratives we unconsciously accept and the choices we make in response.

Communication and the Power of Concreteness

In Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath remind us of the importance of concrete language: “Concrete language helps people, especially novices, understand new concepts. Abstraction is the luxury of the expert.” This insight is critical when resisting systemic forces, as clarity can break through the fog of misinformation and propaganda that often sustains oppressive systems.

Concreteness is not just a teaching tool—it is a strategy of empowerment. When individuals are equipped with clear, actionable knowledge, they are better positioned to navigate and resist systemic pressures. Abstraction may serve experts, but for systems to change, ideas must resonate with those most affected by them.

Listening as Resistance

In a world that often prioritizes self-promotion, Kate Murphy’s reflection in You're Not Listening feels like a call to action: “In a culture infused with existential angst and aggressive personal marketing, to be silent is to fall behind.” Yet, listening can be a radical act. It shifts the focus from advancing one's agenda to understanding others’ realities.

Listening deeply—to voices marginalized by systemic forces, to ideas challenging the status quo—is a form of resistance. It is a way to question who holds power and to amplify perspectives that might otherwise be ignored.

Systems Thinking and the Critical Role of Transitions

Systems thinkers like Brian Walker and Bob Williams highlight the importance of examining moments of transition within systems. While Walker focuses on the 'back loop' periods—those brief, chaotic moments ripe for change—Williams brings attention to the role of power and decision-making within these transitions, particularly in determining what is prioritized or neglected within a system. Walker writes about the “back loop” periods—brief, chaotic moments where systems are ripe for change. “Almost no research has been done on systems in their brief, chaotic, but critically important back loop periods,” he notes in Resilience Practice.

Brian Walker and David Salt, in their exploration of resilience and systems thinking, delve into the intricate dynamics of change within linked ecological and social systems. They observe, “One new area of investigation, for example, is how to understand and deal with multiple thresholds that occur at different scales in the ecological and social domains of linked systems, and which give rise to cascading regime shifts.” These cascading shifts often emerge during transitional moments, providing individuals with unique opportunities to shape systemic outcomes. By identifying and understanding thresholds—those pivotal points where small actions can trigger significant changes—we can better navigate these critical periods and drive meaningful change.

The Question of Power

Finally, the issue of power is central to systems thinking. Williams and Hummelbrunner write in Systems Concepts in Action, “Systems thinkers began to question who makes those decisions of what is ‘in’ and what is ‘out’; the systems field formally started to address the issue of power.” Power shapes the boundaries of systems, determining which voices are heard and which are silenced.

As individuals, we must recognize where we hold power and where we can challenge its misuse. Whether through rejecting harmful narratives, using clear and concrete communication, or seizing moments of systemic transition, our actions matter.

The Cumulative Power of Individual Actions

Power operates at multiple levels—in regimes, systems, and individual choices. By understanding how systemic forces work and where individuals fit within them, we can navigate, perpetuate, or resist these forces more effectively. The challenge lies in recognizing the role we play in shaping outcomes, whether through what we accept, what we question, or what we choose to change. Even the most entrenched systems rely on the cumulative actions of individuals, and therein lies the potential for transformation. What one step will you take, no matter how small, to resist?

Quotes

"Fascists need a demonized enemy against which to mobilize followers, but of course the enemy does not have to be Jewish. Each culture specifies the national enemy."
(Robert O. Paxton, The Anatomy of Fascism)

"Concrete language helps people, especially novices, understand new concepts. Abstraction is the luxury of the expert. If you’ve got to teach an idea to a room full of people, and you aren’t certain what they know, concreteness is the only safe language."
(Chip Heath, Dan Heath, Made to Stick)

"To understand fully how fascist regimes worked, we must dig down to the level of ordinary people and examine the banal choices they made in their daily routines. Making such choices meant accepting an apparent lesser evil or averting the eyes from some excesses that seemed not too damaging in the short term, even acceptable piecemeal, but which cumulatively added up to monstrous end results."
(Robert O. Paxton, The Anatomy of Fascism)

"In a culture infused with existential angst and aggressive personal marketing, to be silent is to fall behind. To listen is to miss an opportunity to advance your brand and make your mark."
(Kate Murphy, You're Not Listening)

"Almost no research has been done on systems in their brief, chaotic, but critically important back loop periods."
(Brian Walker, David Salt, Resilience Practice)

"One new area of investigation, for example, is how to understand and deal with multiple thresholds that occur at different scales in the ecological and social domains of linked systems, and which give rise to cascading regime shifts."
(Brian Walker PhD, Resilience Thinking)

"systems thinkers began to question who makes those decisions of what is “in” and what is “out”; the systems field formally started to address the issue of power."
(Bob Williams, Richard Hummelbrunner, Systems Concepts in Action)

"In terms of the adaptive cycle (see chapter 4), this is classic K phase behavior in which we are increasingly locked into being more efficient with fewer strategies."
(Brian Walker PhD, Resilience Thinking)