How Departments Evolve to Exist for Themselves

The capable face a paradox: ability cannot be inherited. When young, they aspire to break down the barriers others have erected; as they age, they seek to build new barriers—for their descendants.

Thus, the formation of an aristocracy—or of powerful local clans—is a natural expression of human nature.

Intermarriage among elite families is an inevitable choice. You may not see it because you live in a megacity of tens of millions, where everyone is swallowed into anonymity and mere chance prevents such ties from forming.

There are many remedies for this. For instance, periodic transfers to distant postings prevent anyone from taking root anywhere—and rooting is dangerous.

This is especially true in small towns, where officials are routinely pulled back to major cities while fresh appointees are sent down from them.

Such rotational shuffling must continue endlessly, for every golden age in history has relied on exactly this practice.

The best way to shatter entrenched factions is through mobility. A flowing stream never grows stagnant; a frequently turned door hinge never gets worm-eaten. The only constant in this world is change itself.