POWER PLAY - by Oluseyi Vandy

"Three great men sit in a room; a king, a priest and a rich man. Between each of them stands a common sellsword, each great man bids the sellsword kill the other two. Who lives, who dies?" If that sounded familiar, it's because it is. It is a conversation between Varys and Tyrion Lannister. Varys goes on to drop one of the most enlightening quotes ever: "Power resides where men believe it resides, it's a trick, a shadow on the wall..." In this ever-moving field of life, we see this in varying degrees. Artists have fans on their feet, in tears, causing relationships to crumble, and have followers in the millions, but they say "yes sir" to some nameless man the majority may not know.  This is the same reason why even Kings fall, after years of reign, sometimes even ruling with terror. Before then, people may have thought 'Who is strong enough to overthrow such a great and powerful man?' To quote a very wise friend of mine, "Power is constantly moving, be aware of where it resides in any room you enter." This is because power can be in the hands of a CEO, sometimes a P.A., sometimes a gateman. I have learned from observation that though people who can sway the hearts of (wo)men hold immense power, sometimes it resides in the hands of agenda setters/dreamers and idea makers. These people control what is made and, in some extreme cases; what and how people think. They also control what is in vogue, because they have the resources (mind, money, connection) to execute. But I would like to introduce another alternative to the people who have the greatest power of all, the masses. Of all the options listed, the thing they all have in common is they have the backing of the people as a stamp of legitimacy. If the people turn their backs on them, they are alienated and alone. In the same way, money evolved from cowrie to gold and currently to paper because people believe in its value. This is the reason we see division politics everywhere, the most developed nations have a consciousness of this at the end of the day. They unite and speak when their privileges are being impeded. This does not mean that they immediately get their way, it just means they can stand firm because they believe that if they do it long enough, others will rally towards them and then the power against them will have no choice but to lower its head. This is the reality of power, why people make alliances, pay their way or collaborate and do favours because they know if they can get the masses on their side, or distract them long enough, they can preserve their interest. This is the game played. We are the sellsword, the one they all want on their side. The question is what is your price?

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