The Problem

Activist princes

When Laozi said that a beached whale is at the mercy of ants, he meant that a prince who forgets his place and meddles in a minister's work is at the mercy of bureaucrats.

A prince keeps his throne by doing nothing. He knows his place and builds trust by taking advice. Ministers and subjects respect his judgement and don't question it. They empower superiors with their reports.

When a prince won't delegate and likes to be his own boss, his judgement gets worse every day and he has only himself to blame. He can't think clearly when he insults his subjects like that, and he can't stay in charge when he steps down from the throne. When his judgement no longer inspires obedience and his position no longer commands respect, he's dangerously out of touch with his subjects. When he takes every whim and slight to heart and plays favourites in public, those who once knew their place stop doing the right thing and start pandering to superiors. When public servants break the law and serve themselves, when they're not rewarded for merit, not held accountable for corruption, the interests of ruler and subject are at odds. When the prince and his ministers work against each other, when tensions rise and his judgement can't ease them, when problems escalate and his genius can't solve them, when he makes problems worse and blames others instead, the busier the master, the lazier the servant.

That's when those who would carve with the great craftsman's blade rarely don't cut their own hands.