Is Obedience To Tyrants A Spiritual Good?

In his Rule of monastic life, Benedict required the Prioress to be a dictator, but with radical balances. She was to be a living example of humility. Above any worldly concern, she was to place helping all the community members grow in love. She was to respond to each member as an individual, understanding that the response that helped one might damage another. She was to consider every member’s opinion before making even small decisions, giving special weight to the views of new and young members. These balances on authority have been tossed aside throughout history.

The Benedictines are not the only monastics to value obedience to dictatorial authority. Yet in my experience, this is a bad spiritual practice. It allows the powerful to avoid self-reflection while protecting their egos with a group illusion. This stymies everyone’s spiritual growth, both of those on the bottom, such as I was, and those at the top who wield the power.

It takes incredible humility not to fall into this error or to otherwise avoid abuse of power. More humility than I have, or any of the Benedictines I knew had. Pressures for expediency, the ego desires of oneself and close associates, fears for survival: all undermine a dictatorial leader's spiritual aspirations, even one who starts with the very best of intentions. As they say: power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

This is one area where I believe Benedict was wrong, reflecting Roman cultural expectations, not spiritual efficacy. Too few of us humans are humble enough for dictatorial power, and submission to tyrants can’t teach divine love.

Monasticism is worth pursuing. Despite the foibles of the leaders, I felt amazingly full of life in the monastery. The aspects that created that spirited life were the emptiness of limited social activity, silence where chants reside unbroken beside wind and bird song, daily meditation and owning little.

But the old sisters wanted to "use" me as they saw fit, without consideration for any service I felt God had placed in my heart... They saw that as the only way to live Benedict's Rule. And that's where my strong call to the community conflicted with my, equally strong, creative call. I kept going a long time hoping "God" would solve this conflict. When they kicked me out - explicitly saying that they couldn't have an artist (e.g. one with the need to follow individual inspiration) - this struggle ended.

Few people have the option of life in a monastery. I’m grateful I had a chance to try it. I'm glad I experienced a life and joy that once tasted always calls. But perhaps that call is more healthily pursued outside grand, religious institutions. Big institutions have such tendency towards oppressive dictatorship and repressive cultural norms - and these are as likely to take people away from God as help them closer.

You might say this is just the sour grapes of one who was rejected, but still...

I've discovered that the same light shines out here, where most of us live our ordinary, extraordinary lives. All I need to do is empty the clutter and listen.