Belief is illegitimate.....

The workplace is the perfect microcosm of meritocracy. If someone is made a lead, but that person is not a hard worker, or effective, yet they are paid more because they are liked, personally, rather than functionally, that is entitlement. It follows that the people who are functionally good workers SHOULD not respect the lead in any real sense. What happens is, believers add their own belief driven paradigm where nothing real matters. All that matters is I sprinkle pixie dust on your shoulders, and I give you the authority to be the lead, even though you don't deserve it functionally. Then, the believers come with pure authoritarianism to enforce their arbitrary appointments. These two different systems are not two sides of the same coin, or qualitatively equivalent in any sense at all. One is illegitimate, belief based power, and one is legitimate, functionally based power. Now, belief has the power of physical contingency, and can cause real physical difference, and, in that sense illegitimate power is just as potent as functional power, BUT power of belief IS illegitimate, and will always be illegitimate and should not be respected in any way, shape or form. It's the difference between giving a loaded gun to a child, or giving it to a trained gun owner. Believers, when the child blows himself or someone else away, will say it's all part of the plan, while the functional power says "You can't give a gun to a baby, idiot."