The Power of Power
The Power of Power
The story
Many years ago, a young boy, Joe, lived in a small farming community. When he grew up and started working, he decided he would only work for the most powerful.
According to him, that was the farmer. Therefore, Joe worked for him. Soon Joe realized the farmer was not the most powerful. The farmer feared the taxman. Joe changed his boss.
After a while, Joe realized the taxman feared the king, and Joe made another change. Because the king feared the devil, Joe followed the devil, who ran away when he saw a cross.
What is the implication of the story?
A person may have power in a particular environment but not in another. A parent has authority over the child until the child turns into an adult. Then the parent loses that power. A child is the senior in primary school but the junior the following year at high school. The situation repeats after matric when the child goes to university and again at the beginning of a career. Power does not remain, and there is always somebody with more power than you.
Where do you find power?
According to Google, power is “the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events.”
The effect of a power situation can be found in all life situations, from parents towards their children to politicians influencing communities.
The king (or President) of a country rules the lives of the public. The nasty boy bullies the meek boy. The manager is unfair to the subordinate, and the policeman kicks the criminal.
Everybody knows the story about the nasty man to his wife, who kicks the dog who chases the cat catching the rat. Maybe the cat is the lucky one by catching the rat. But what about the rat? Does anyone care about the rat?
How do you obtain power?
There are various kinds of power.
1.) Individual power is where one person is master over the other.
2.) A senior position in a work situation.
3.) Big against small.
4.) Rich versus poor.
There is also political power. The government rules the country or one country against another.
You can also obtain power through influencing others by your actions. Social media proved how easy it is to influence people.
Often a person gains power because of their actions. Everybody will remember Florence Nightingale because of her passion for nursing. We will not forget Gandhi because he influenced people to act in a certain way. Their fame made them powerful.
Other people gain power because they are rich. They can achieve what they want because of their money.
In each case, the person can choose to use the power to create something good or bad. Sometimes the result seems good but turns out bad later. Gandhi achieved his goal through civil disobedience. Does disobedience to the government in modern society solve problems?
Then there is political power. That is when a political person gains power.
The use and abuse of power.
Since biblical times you can see the difference between a good and an evil king. In modern times it is easy to see the difference between countries where the government adheres to the principles of good governance and those where the government cares about themselves rather than the country they govern.
A leader can choose to develop or to destroy. Often the desire for power inspires a leader to make fatal choices, leading to enormous disaster and misery for the country.
Healthy competition is good. Competition drives a person to perform better. Unfortunately, some people need to win. Competition changes into a battle. Viciousness replaces the fun.
A few years ago, I started a fundraising campaign. A friend interfered, and I was offended. I did not want to break our friendship and decided to keep the peace. Later the fundraising turned out far better than what I would achieve on my own. I also realized I was offended because I wanted the honor. Why did I start the fundraising? Was it to help others or to gain popularity?
When a person starts something for the wrong reasons, it isn’t easy to back off. When others warn your actions are wrong, it will be humiliating to stop.
Empires
There were many empires where one country ruled others. For some unknown reason, someone always thinks it will be special to rule the world. Everybody knows the Persian dynasty and the Roman empire in biblical times. Not too long ago, England and France fought for first place. Many lost their lives because of the desire for power of an individual. Hitler was the latest candidate for this supposed honor.
The Russian fiasco
Now it seems Hitler has a competitor.
Russia and Ukraine have a long history. Vladimir Putin decided to do what the rest of the world agreed never to do again.
Why did Putin decide to invade Ukraine?
The real reason is unknown, but the suspicion is that Putin needed to save face. He lost respect because of his actions in the recent past. Was it because of his fear of the Covid virus? Another reason is to make Russia as powerful as before the end of the cold war. Putin may try to build a new empire.
The reason for his decisions is not essential. The problem is his pride. Once he started his invasion, he could not stop because it would humiliate him. Now his situation escalates because even his soldiers disagree with him. Many prefer to side with the Ukrainians.
Putin will soon have to make a serious decision. He will have to accept humiliation, which will not be his first choice, or he will have to pull his nuclear weapons.
A two-edged sword.
Indeed, Putin would not like to be humiliated by the Western world demanding him withdraw his army from Ukraine.
The reality is now that the Western world will have to apply their threats. What will Europe do if Putin ignores them? That will be a humiliation for Europe. The war is between Russia and Ukraine and also between Russia and Europe. Both Putin and Europe stand a chance of embarrassment. If Europe gives in, Russia will be the strong one and will influence the world in the future.
Once you become involved in a power fight, you cannot get out of it without winning or losing. Nobody ever wins. The desire for power creates damaging actions and reactions, which escalates into disaster. Is this why you should turn your cheek when someone slaps you?
According to Newton, every action has an equal, opposite reaction.
The harder you press down on an object, the more the thing will press back in return.
In the Russia fiasco, how severe will the last reaction be?
The cold war returned with a vengeance, but the fight will be extremely hot this time. And the reason? The desire for power.
The fall of empires.
Through the ages, empires did not last. All the sacrifices were unnecessary. What did Alexander the Great gain? Can Hitler still use his power?
A weak person needs to degrade a stronger person to make himself look great. Often a person will be prepared to destroy a country to boost his ego. Is that not what Putin does?
A summary
We will never forget Florence Nightingale, and her actions will always inspire people because she wanted to help others without selfish reasons. The result of her behavior will always be positive.
The actions of Gandhi were for selfish reasons. If the political situation did not affect him, he would not have done anything. In a way, he did everything for himself.
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in 1955 in Alabama and started the civil rights movement.
Both Gandhi and Rosa achieved something, but with what results? There is more racism and injustice than ever before. Countries still fight each other.
People such as Hitler and Putin received power invested in them. Then they do not know what to do with that power and mess everything up.
Putin started something not he or Europe will stop easily.
Conclusion
The power of power can be extreme. Power can take you anywhere, but you will go nowhere. Power does not belong to anyone and takes possession of you. When you think you are at the top, someone else interferes. Was it not David who conquered Goliath? Size does not matter.
Perhaps someone should start a movement for balance? But then, will the campaign organizer not empower himself and destroy everything?
There will be a time like never before, and the people will destroy the world. I always wondered how that would happen.
I think I know.
