Reply #3: Powerlessness

[OrdinaryTa]

Powerlessness isn't as powerless as you think. We may not prevail but we can certainly put up resistance. That forces our opponents to continue to exert effort, especially if we remain bold and agile. Elizabeth Janeway's book "Powers of the Weak" discusses the ways the weak can overcome the powerful. The antiwar movement could not stop either Johnson or Nixon, but managed to distract them so that both of them resigned rather than continue.

We Americans still look like chumps after September 11th. We need to acknowledge that our enemies, although weaker than us, can pick out targets of opportunity and inflict pain. The Bush administration's prideful response has not solved the 9/11 crimes. As Al Gore pointed out last week, we are worse off today than two years ago.

Humility is actually power-enhancing. Once we recognize what we can do and what we can't, we can focus our energies on what is likely to succeed. I like Will Pitt's remark: Keep your head in the game. Don't let Karl Rove convince you that resistance is futile. There's still a lot we can do.