Xuen Tey - Week #12 - Having Power
I don’t remember exactly when I first learned this, but one thing that many of the novels I read when I was younger spoke about how power best suits those who do not want it. This sentiment, to me, has always gone hand-in-hand with another saying—absolute power absolutely corrupts. While these sayings are clearly opposites, they compliment each other solely because they are opposites that speak about the same thing. “Absolute power corrupts absolutely” is a well-known saying about the dangers of power and giving it to one person, and “Power is best held by those who do not seek it” is a saying that expresses how power isn’t dangerous when placed in the correct people’s hands.
Of course, both sayings have their own merits. I can completely understand how giving one person too much power can lead to horrific consequences. Just looking at all the dictatorships proves that fact well enough. However, some people do better than others at handling power on their own, especially when it comes to those who do not want power, but are given it by others.
I feel that only those who reject power really comprehend the responsibility and work it takes to be powerful, and because of how intimately they understand the different aspects of high positions, they are less likely to aspire to reach higher positions.
That does not mean, however, that those who aspire for power are guaranteed to be terrible people. The saying can be interpreted as saying that those who end up in power will inevitably become corrupt, but I feel like it is speaking less about the individual, and more about the power itself. “Absolute power” in itself is something that is a dangerous weapon. Holding absolute control over something is the kind of intoxicating power that would have many doing anything for it.
Hi, Xuen. Here, power is such an abstract idea. On the one hand, I agree that, generally, having too much power leads to corruption. However, I don’t think that power itself is the root of corruption. Abusing power is something that stems from an already corrupt human and power is just the vessel that allows it to grow. While it is evident that some people become corrupt as they gain more power (or adjacent things like wealth, etc.), I would argue that corruption only grows because it has the opportunity to.
ReplyDeleteI think we hear (or at least remember) about how power leads to corruption more often than the opposite because bad things are usually easier to remember than good ones. There are many examples of philanthropic leaders who had great power but, as the saying goes, also had great responsibility (both as an obligation and characteristic).
Power likely magnifies the existing aspects of one’s life, like their material goods as well as their personality and values. It’s hard to argue that those who are pure of heart would suddenly switch their morals because of power. While a lot of people definitely do, I believe that speaks more to their weak character than to the strength of power (weird wording but I think ykwim). I think it’s unfair to say that people who reject power comprehend the responsibility because it’s hard to “intimately…understand” something without having experience with it. But I do agree with you that, generally, power leads to corruption.
Hello, Xuen! While I generally agree with you that those that are the most deserving of power are the ones that do not want it, I feel I have to clarify and make some clarifications regarding that claim. I feel that while generally, power should be given to people who do not want it, the person you are giving it to needs to be competent. Take me for example. Personally, I have zero interest in power. Does that mean I should be given power? Absolutely not. I am in no way qualified to lead a group of people, and it would be better in any scenario to give it to the person who wants power.
ReplyDeleteIf we take a look at the most famous people we talk about when we say “power should be given to those who do not want it,” they are all people who proved themselves to be great leaders. If we take a look at people like Sulla, Cincinnatus, and Washington, they were all great leaders, who, after gaining power, decided that they did not want it.
Therefore, I have to argue against your claim that only people who reject power can truly understand what it takes to gain power. The people that are desperate for power certainly will struggle and do everything they can to gain power—it’s what their whole being is, after all. It just feels like the people who truly deserve power are the ones that have proven they are capable of gaining and maintaining it, and do not feel the lust that others might feel towards it. That lack of attraction towards power is what makes the greatest leaders truly great. They are able to overcome the temptation of absolute power, and view their role as what those beneath them want them to be.
Hi Xuen!
ReplyDeleteWhen reading your blog, I couldn’t help but think about Peter Parker for some reason. I think he is the perfect example of someone who doesn’t want power but is still forced to bear its burden. It’s kind of like the passage we had to read for the progress check: some people achieve power, others are born with it, and others have it forced upon them. I feel like that quote relates to your blog and the story of Spider-Man a lot. I mean, having watched the Andrew Garfield movies just last week (they are my personal favorite), in almost every single situation, he tries to outrun the burden that his super-human abilities have given him. He doesn’t do anything when a store gets robbed, nor does he do anything about the giant lizard terrorizing New York until it starts to go after the girl that he likes.
I think the reason why the people who don't seek power end up being so level-headed is because they don’t have any expectations for themselves or really a plan. That saying of it is best not to have any expectations because that only leads to sadness is a very real thing. People who seek power tend to set high expectations of themselves due to having an inferiority complex that they need to reject. Power to them equates to control, and if they manage to have power, then they manage to control everything around them. But power does not always mean having control; more often than not, power usually equates to a lack of control. You are forced to reckon with the fact that your life will never be the same, and how you are at whim to the people around you, or to the abilities that you possess. Another great blog this week!
Hi Xuen, I really enjoyed reading your blog this week! It was a very philosophical read and I appreciated the way you compared power to the people who want it. Absolute power is a dangerous thing, but it can also be interpreted in multiple ways. Sometimes absolute power is what someone strives for and usually those who strive for absolute power do so with ill intentions, but sometimes absolute power is placed up on those who are either not ready. The intersection of power and responsibility is a fine line that many cannot understand. I like how you denoted it as a dangerous weapon and it definitely is the cause for numerous conflicts throughout history. Power is a dangerous and abstract concept because power is given and only exists as a societal construct. There is no quantifiable amount of power, power is given by perspective. It is all a story that society tells itself because we know who has power not because of some scripture or something that is written in the stars, it is what we as a public are led to believe. True power lies not in a person, but their ability to manipulate and control a story and a narrative that is displayed to the general public. As a society we have the power to choose who we give power to; it is not something that can be taken. Thank you for writing such a nice blog this week. I really enjoyed reading it and I have a lot of fun reading pieces of writing from a philosophical perspective.
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