But always, the promise is assumed to have come from elsewhere, to have been bestowed on us by some greater power, whether country or God. When the prophecy fails, when there is no reward, we perceive a grave injustice. We believe someone robbed us. They must be punished. So we empower a strongman, who shows up, promising to cleanse us of the threat and thereby deliver that original reward, whether it’s wealth, safety, power, or superiority.
