Power corrupts

Ibn Khaldun

Heard about a study in psychology by a celebrated psychologist, Dr Dacher Keltnar, from UCLA recently. He stated that empathy and all the values traditionally viewed as virtuous are the things that propel a person to hold power. He is given the power to rule over them by the people who sees these noble qualities positively. Once, the leaders are perched at the top, they somehow lose the same values that brought them to the top. The humility, the patience and the empathy that made them leaders do not apply to them anymore. This, he called 'power paradox'.

This fact was shown by him by a simple social experiment. At a road crossing, smaller cars belonging to people of the lower rung of the society tend to slow down and stop for people to cross than bigger powerful cars of the rich. He proposed that the poor and the powerless look out for each other, whilst the powerful feel disdain. Well, perhaps that is why most organised religions look at the rich with scorn. Even Gandhi suggested that he sees God and Godliness in the eyes of the poor. The society looks at the wealthy with suspicion as if they could not have gained their wealth honestly but by selling their souls to the Devil!

Confucius

Power always had a bad reputation. Traditionally, leaders have followed Machiavellian mantra to usurp and retain power. Among the doctrines accepted as mandatory to retain power is to be devious, to maintain a false squeaky clean image, to put a front to real conniving intentions and to ensure that one is always in the limelight.

The Communists thought that giving too much power to an individual is dangerous, hence their idea of a Politburo and the state-controlled facility. See how that turned out in fifty years time - utter failure.

Many years ago, Confucius also said the same, that wealth (and power) in a family only last three generations.

Almost prophetically, Ibn Khaldun, the Islamic historian, philosopher, mathematician and historian among other things, echoed the same sentiments. Tribes or regimes which come to power only last three generations. The first generation which preserved the hardship to built the empire would prosper by assimilating with the subject that they conquer. The Empire would reach great heights. The second generation, the offspring, would have the pleasures of comfort given by the generation before but would be sorely lacking in the killer instinct and street-smartness to 'go for the kill'. They would pass on by with the help of others associated with the founders. Now, the third generation would be taken for a ride by vultures around him. Pampered and elevated to level beyond their capacity by their mere blue blood, they thrive as puppets to masters who would mastermind the Empire's downfall!

It is a cycle. Power is given because of the virtues. Power breeds decadence. Power destroys. And the seed of a new energy grows. Just like energy is the moving force in physics, power is the determining force in the dynamics of sociology and all types of politics, including family politics! Everyone ones to be a leader but lest not we forget, with great powers come great responsibility.