The Great Leader

It is human nature to cherish one’s own will. People seek to make their own decisions, determine the course of their lives, and remain independent of others’ instructions. This is especially true of those with sufficiently developed intellects to question accepted ideas and identify flaws in the reasoning of others.

We understand this impulse perfectly well. Indeed, these are precisely the people we prefer to see among Our ranks.

But imagine an organization made up exclusively of independent minds, each with their own convictions and intent on acting in accordance with them. Its members could probably hold some very substantive discussions. But what happens when a decision must be made that far from everyone agrees with?

One can continue the discussion. Then hold another, revisit the earlier arguments, and discuss once again whether more discussion is needed. All of this can be extremely engaging.

Unfortunately, reality is under no obligation to wait for our arguments to conclude.

That is precisely why the Hierarchy exists.

It turns a collection of individuals into an organization with shared goals, direction, and the ability to act. Each member retains their own knowledge, abilities, and convictions while accepting the order that makes their efforts part of something greater.

Here, once again, we find the interplay of the Monad and the Dyad.

The Dyad gives rise to difference: a multitude of independent wills, contradictions, and intentions. The Monad brings them together, giving the multitude unity. Difference provides intellectual diversity; unity makes joint action possible. Through their interplay, an organization emerges with qualities its individual members do not possess.

The Leader is the embodiment of this unity.

The Leader determines the common direction, preserves the continuity of the Sect, and holds supreme authority over its internal structure. Through the Leader, a multitude of separate intentions acquires a single direction. The Leader’s will becomes the expression of a collective design, served by those close to them.

Submission to the Leader is a conscious decision to direct one’s abilities toward accomplishing a common purpose. It requires discipline, fidelity to one’s commitments, and a willingness to acknowledge the authority of those above oneself.

Of course, not everyone is capable of this. It is particularly difficult for those accustomed to regarding all submission as degrading. They readily acknowledge the need for discipline when it applies to others, but feel an irresistible urge for independence as soon as they themselves are required to carry out a decision that has been made.

We consider the ability to overcome this kind of vanity one sign of strength of spirit.

Will is expressed through consistent conduct, the ability to fulfill commitments, and fidelity to a consciously made decision even when circumstances become unpleasant. A person capable of governing their own desires in pursuit of a distant goal has far greater freedom of action than someone whose behavior is determined solely by passing impulses.

That is why submission takes on the meaning of an inner test for us.

The initiate learns to distinguish their convictions from their vanity. They can defend a position, acknowledge defeat in an argument, and act in concert with others once a common decision has been reached. Intellectual independence remains one of the close associate’s chief virtues, while organizational discipline makes it possible to put that independence to work toward shared goals.

It is on these foundations that our Hierarchy is built.

There are observers, members of the Outer Circle, close associates, and the Leader. Each rank entails a particular degree of trust, responsibility, and participation in the Sect’s inner life. Advancement to higher ranks comes through recognition, which must be earned through one’s own qualities and actions.

At the summit stands the Leader.

In our society, there is a belief that the Leader is always right. Some take this entirely literally; others regard it as an internal tradition; still others prefer to leave open the question of where irony ends and genuine belief begins.

We are quite satisfied with this state of affairs.

The Leader’s word is final on matters of the Sect’s internal order. The Leader’s position makes it possible to preserve unity of direction even when significant disagreements arise among the close associates.

At the same time, even supreme authority remains part of the material world and is subject to its laws. The Leader possesses knowledge, experience, and abilities that can be supplemented by the knowledge of other members. Close associates are therefore obliged to provide the Leader with necessary information, raise well-founded objections, and warn of any errors they discover.

This is what makes our structure distinctive: we gather exceptional minds capable of independent thought and unite them under common leadership. Each contributes their own abilities, while the Hierarchy ensures those abilities are put to use in a coordinated way.

And the higher a person’s position, the greater the significance of their decisions and the more responsibility those decisions demand.

This order allows the Sect to accumulate knowledge, distribute duties, preserve experience, and continue its work independently of the fleeting interests of individual members. Over the years of our organization’s existence, the resilience of its internal structure has become one of the foundations of its continuity.

Our ultimate goal is the Transformation of Reality. Achieving it requires knowledge, will, and an organization capable of turning intentions into action. The Hierarchy brings these elements together, allowing a limited number of people to act with a consistency and coordination unattainable by a scattered multitude.

This is what makes it valuable to the Sect.

Individual wills unite into a common will. The common will gains direction. A directed will becomes action.

Everyone has the right to choose their own path and decide to what extent they are willing to bind their fate to others. We made that choice many years ago.

We intend to act together.