“Through ritual aspiring political leaders struggle to assert their right to rule, incumbent power holders seek to bolster their authority, and revolutionaries try to carve out a new basis of political allegiance. “

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“All of these political figures, from leaders of insurrections to champions of the status quo, use rites to create political reality for the people around them. Through participation in the rites, the citizen of the modern state identifies with larger political forces that can only be seen in symbolic form. And through political ritual, we are given a way to understand what is going on in the world, for we live in a world that must be drastically simplified if it is to be understood at all(Ritual, Politics, and Power by David I. Kertzer, pages 1-2 ).”

I have found my time on steemit a time-machine of sorts back to when I was interested in #anarchy at a younger age.

The discussions on here are informative and interesting to say the least. By looking at the Venn Diagram below, that I made up, it is not surprising to have such a high volume of post here that appeal to this subject given that the two concepts overlap.

The questions of authority have always been a struggle in society and will continue to be.

In the quote above from Kertzer’s book, Ritual, Politics, and Power, he mentions that “we live in a world that must be drastically simplified if it is to be understood at all”.

This statement is in line with what Dr. Robert Cialdini discusses in his book* Influence* that I break down in my persuasion series when I told you that you have authority issues.

The point being that factors of influence and persuasion work so well because the complexities of life are often reduced down to quickly processed aspects so that we are able to carry on in this ever information overloaded world.

And that is where ritual comes in as a simplified way of responding to the inundation of stimuli.
Steemit, being a social media platform, has integrated ritual through routine by providing a service that has been described as addictive. And here.

Also ever notice how we use the term “users” to describe well users…?

This power is something that can be harnessed for good here in the #steemitcommunity as routine becomes ritual.

Decentralization is a key component to blockchain and steemit.

But that doesn’t necessarily precipitate a lack of authority.

“It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, no
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no” - Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son

There are still “rules” created by the platform for usage and there is still the human factor of creating groups and now followers that can be used to create a deluge of down votes that suppress authors or articles.

As We Move Forward, I Ask Would the World End Without Authorities?

Or would it get a whole lot more voluntary?