Else This Guy

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Guy Fawkes has been called “the last man to enter Parliament with honest intentions” - which was to blow it up. 

410 years ago to this day he was caught with gunpowder in the basement of the House of Lords. Under questioning and torture he confessed to being part of “the Gunpowder Plot”, an attempt to kill King James I and replace him with a Catholic monarch (Fawkes was Catholic). 

Fawkes was executed soon after, but Parliament was not done with him. They passed an Act to encourage the King's subjects to celebrate his King’s deliverance by lighting bonfires every Fifth of November.  Thus "Guy Fawkes' Night", an annual celebration with fireworks and burning of his effigy.

The Gunpowder Plot is just one of countless attempts to achieve change through violence. Unlike Fawkes' failed plot, many others plans succeeded - suicide bombings, 9/11, state-sponsored regime change. Some achieved their objectives, some failed.

Running parallel in history with these violent struggles are more peaceful - though no less radical - movements.  To name a few: suffrage for women, the American civil rights movement, the end of apartheid, EDSA I, Occupy Wall Street. Instead of using gunpowder, the proponents of the peaceful approach used things like sit-ins, teach-ins, social media, protests, strikes, marches. And also burning effigies - this time, of the people in power. 

There's also this grey area of non-violent but illegal protest. It includes, among others, defacing websites, hacking into Government systems and leaking documents. Interestingly, the hackers’ group known for these things uses Guy Fawkes’ image as their symbol.

And then of course there’s chance - some changes happen, apparently without any agent, violent or otherwise. The change that Guy Fawkes fought for eventually came about in 1673 when the presumptive heir of the British throne, James the Duke of York, converted to Catholicism.

What makes a person choose peaceful means or do a Guy Fawkes? I believe it depends on two things. One is what a person thinks he can do about the situation - his range of peaceful, constructive options. The other is what he will lose if change comes through violence.

The fellow who feels he can still do much to improve the situation would prefer peaceful means - specially when he has much to lose.  The person who feels he has run out of options could lean towards more drastic solutions - more so when he has nothing to lose.

To the first group belongs the bourgeoise, government officials and employees, businessmen - and Development Entrepreneurs and Intrapreneurs. Guy Fawkes probably felt he belonged to the second group.

Development Entrepreneurs and Intrapreneurs are challenged to find peaceful ways to reform the systems they are part of. 

Part of this challenge is increasing the range of options for people to participate in improving society (like having a say in where roads should be built or improved).  

Also part of this challenge is increasing the stake that people have in society (like helping them get titles to their lands). 

Development Entrepreneurs and Intrapreneurs have to step up to these challenges.


Or else people will be looking for another Guy Fawkes.

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