“I would prefer not to.”
One of the reasons I took the moniker of scrivener is as a sort of homage to Bartleby.
I love the power that comes from not doing what is demanded. It is these quiet revolutions that work to deny those who claim power any agency or impact.
There are many who claim such power and authority. Some are explicit in their demands for obeisance. You see them at the office, in the schools, in the halls of government. They are contemptuous children, little would-be rulers who make fools of themselves and those who follow them. Others are more circuitous in their demands. They couch their orders as a service to you. “If you want to succeed, do this,” they call. “Don't get left behind!” They are charlatans pretending to sell you a life of happiness and privilege if you bend your knee (usually on someone else's neck). In the end, they serve no one but themselves.
What neither understand is that authority is not claimed. It is given. Sure, they may have power enough to force you into a cage, to bind you, to break you. Bartleby faces just such an end. That, however, is not authority. It is violence, a fleeting control, at best, that always comes back to haunt those who would use it.
Sometimes, resistance must depend on such brutality. There is a nobility in pushing back and honor in standing to fight. But not every fight requires violence, and not everyone can raise their fist to strike. There are moments where the best you can do is look up, hear the demands, and quietly say, “I would prefer not to.”
And then do nothing they say.