We will be convening here at the ZigZag café, Suisse, on Thursdays for conversation and dialogue. I invite you to stop by every Thursday for the question of the day. Your thoughts and participation are most welcome. Pull up a stool, avec un café, un thé, ou un chocolat chaud, et un croissant, and join in here on Thursday at the ZZ café.
For today:
Does power corrupt character and is having power attractive, compelling, or desirable?
6 comments:
Power in and of itself? Isn't this like the debate over "love of money" versus "money" is the root of all evil? Probably not. But from my own experience, I am a rather homely guy with a bad sense of humor. (I've never met a pun too bad to repeat.) About 23 years ago I became chief of staff to a congressman. Suddenly I became popular with people who had paid me no attention. I was flirted with. My poor jokes should have been televised! When I resigned, I was no longer popular or flirted with. 10 years ago, I obtained another position, and it started all over.
Carter,
Thanks. So, indeed in your experience power was a character defeater, yet having it remains an attraction. If this is the case, how can the vicious cycle of power be broken, or can it?
Please forgive delay in replying. I tried yesterday, but apparently there was some glitch. Anyway, the scriptures are replete with people of power: Abraham, Moses, Saul, David, Solomon, the list goes on. Power didn't corrupt any of them. It was their own self-centeredness that caused any of them at various times to use their power for any means that would fulfill their selfishness. To grant a "vicious cycle of power" is to misdirect the question. It is a cycle of self-centeredness.
Carter,
Excellent. I wonder if there's a link with self-centeredness and power = the power of sin. Maybe there are different powers.
Here's a recent Rhythm for reflection:
We are capital ‘I’ in many facets of our lives. This persuasive, though misleading power, attempts to set itself up, for example in knowledge and relationships, as ultimate authority. Making self-centeredness primary is the deep structure of capital ‘I’ and this is exactly where its seemingly harmless deception lies. Self-centered selves need to be confronted by another power – the Spirit of Christ. When this happens there will be a clash and hopefully all hell will break loose. This altercation will be uncomfortable and raise many questions, since one has most likely lived in the paradigm of capital ‘I’ for years. Gradual release from the bonds of selfishness towards otherness will be difficult and sometimes frustrating, until transformation sets in and a paradigm shift begins to take place. Time is an important element here and patience is required. Notions of who we “be” and what we “do” are at stake. Fresh resources will start to be at hand when the new paradigm grows and the surging power of the spiritual life, identified by following the Crucified and Risen One, becomes primary and the power of capital ‘I’ diminishes.
That sounds like one of your very recent Living Spirituality meditations. The very first commandment is to have no other gods before the LORD (to be typographically theologically correct). Isn't sin essentially making ourselves gods? Or, to be more honest, isn't my sin making me my own idol?
Carter,
Me thinks yes and yes. Thanks for your helpful comments and questions.
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