Power. Power, to me, is a lot like Silly Putty or those other substances you see in those Nickelodeon commercials, like Floam or Gak. It’s really fun to think about having, and when you do get it, it’s really exciting for about a few hours, but then it’s just kind of gross, especially when you catch hairs in it. When you overuse it, it turns into this mess that the commercials told you wouldn’t happen, and cleaning it up is a really big hassle. And if you like having it, and have a lot of it, I would consider it off-putting, especially if you are my age.
I’m not a fan of power, at least in large quantities. Having no power is also terrible. But the theory that more power is a good thing is awful, and the people who apply that theory as a basis for how they live their life are people I, and a lot of other people, would hesitate to invite to a Thanksgiving dinner, or any holiday for that matter.
Now, when I say power, what I mean is the intangible that comes with a position of leadership, though this can probably apply to any use of the word power that you might think. Power, and the pursuit of power, brings out the worst in people. With power comes subterfuge, arrogance, insecurity, manipulation, and other evil nouns in order to keep that power safe and secure. Friendships, relationships become strained, even nonexistent when a large quantity of power is involved. Cattiness comes out, people are judged more harshly than they really deserve, and you start to see the world from a perspective that draws ire from everyone else.
Now, in theory, there are systems like democracy that only allow the most capable leaders to receive this power. And the above statements aren’t to say that nobody can handle power. Someone has to be in charge, and out of the 7 billion people in the world, surely there are some people that can handle power effectively, people who will not let power corrupt them. However, you never have a choice between 7 billion people in reality. In fact, generally elections come down to about 2 or 3 people, or groups of people. If you don’t trust either of them to be the leaders of an organization, or government, or whatever, too bad, pick one. Even if everyone thinks that a certain choice will be a good one, it does not necessarily mean that the choice is a right one. And while people may believe themselves to have the capability to handle power, sometimes you simply do not have what it takes to wield it.
We live in a world where no matter what, people who really shouldn’t have power somehow get their hands on it. And it really sucks when that happens, because once someone has power, stripping them of that power before they wreak havoc ranges from super-duper hard, to downright impossible. So I’ll say this: when you are giving someone a position of power within an organization, make ABSOLUTELY SURE that they are the best choice, because you don’t want to give someone a taste of power if they can’t handle it, and you certainly don’t want to aid an addiction to power. I’m going to play with Gak now. I just saw another commercial, and it got me really jazzed.
