Power usually corrupt the one who holds it.
The striving
ambition for power can seem to be the road to perfection; however, power might
be the exact cause of a downfall. According to Dictionary.com, the definition
of power is to possess control or command over others; to have authority.
Having such superiority and influence may be appealing to some but, due to the
amount of responsibility and pressure, others avoid such a position. However,
these are not the only negative aspects of having power. In fact, having power
can cause the loss of self control and allows greed to easily take over. In
other words, if not monitored carefully, greed can easily corrupt those in
power.
Karl
Marx is best known as a revolutionary communist, whose work inspired the
foundation of many communist regimes. According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy, Marx’s ideology of communism was based on a classless society and
his philosophy was to abolish private property and socialize all means of
production so that no man or woman would ever have to fear poverty. However, greed
being an innate characteristic, which easily corrupts peoples’ minds and
damages what was initially a positive intention, can cause those with power to
become corrupt. Therefore, being unable to manage or suppress these immoral
urges can result in devastating outcomes, such as a harsh, dictatorship style
society.
North
Korea’s first leader Kim Il Sung, originally rallied troops to fight against
the Japanese who ruled over Korea however after they gained their independence,
and the amount of respect and power he had grew, his selfish desires took over
and he became a corrupt leader. The power Kim Il Sung had turned into greed, “an
excessive or rapacious desire, especially for wealth or possessions”
(Dictionary.com), which resulted in the devastatingly impoverished state they
are in now. Still to this day, countless lives are being lost and too many vulnerable
citizens are laboring hard each day, just to feed themselves one or two poor
quality meals, while the government of is ordered to spend revenue on building nuclear
bombs. It is unfortunate how the desire for ultimate power has blurred what is
moral and resulted in citizens facing great poverty and depression.
Another example of a powerful leader who
became corrupt is Emperor Caligula. Caligula began his political career as an
admired leader, freeing unjustly punished prisoners and staging lavish events
such as chariot racing and gladiator shows; however, soon he became a cruel and
unpredictable leader, quoted by Biography.com. His desire for ultimate power and
greed caused him to introduce heavy taxation on his people, for his own personal
expenditures, stated by bbc.co.uk. Furthermore, similar to the North Korean
leader, Caligula also forced his citizens to declare that he was a living god
and erected statues for worship. Overall, it is evident that with power comes
possible corruption. People in power seem to develop a sense of entitlement and
superiority, which is why they easily become corrupt.
In
conclusion, having absolute power can easily lead to extreme greed, causing one
to corrupt. Therefore, it is necessary for people to recognize and control
these selfish urges and make sure the misuse of power or mistreatment of people
does not occur. In the words of the Dalia Lama, individuals need to cultivate
their power within: to understand and to know oneself and his/her ability to
extend empathy to other living beings, instead of seeking control for their own
benefit. Then, international communities need to intervene and protect the
lives of innocent victims in countries with corrupt rulers, because is not that
what being a global community is about? On the whole, people need to be active
members of society making sure they do not allow their status or social
hierarchy to influence the way they behave or what they believe, and make sure
to value each life and the mistreatment of individuals is condemned.
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