Power Cravings

It would seem, generally, that people tend to have 2 different cravings for power. First, there are those who crave control. These tend to be highly educated, successful, and driven, everything we generally associate with leadership. But I wonder if they are not so more because they wish to be leaders than because they wish to be successful. In other words, perhaps they are driven by power, rather than being driven by success. This presents a problem for those looking for a leader. How do you distinguish one who is seeking power from one who is successful?

It could be argued that it doesn't matter, for the reasons which a person becomes successful, whether it be for power or glory, are the very reasons that person will continue to act in the same manner once he's achieved it. But this is not truly the case, for power, once given, is often very difficult to take back. One who craves power, and thus achieves it, will especially be hard set in keeping it. He may be driven to act properly by controls over the power, but a power-driven megalomaniac has incentive to skirt these controls or destroy them. This is the way dictatorship emerges.

Thus is is truly vital that men seek out leaders who are not power-driven. This brings us to the second type of power craving: those who crave an authoritarian leader to look after them. This, I believe, is not a small minority. There are many who find themselves struggling to make ends meet, who either don't care enough to make themselves successful or are incapable of such. A vast majority of these types fall into the former category, though they would have you believe otherwise. People of this type do not want authority, they want to be taken care of. I hesitate to call it laziness, but it is a neediness not because they are incapable of providing for themselves, but because they enjoy being looked after. It makes them feel cared for and important. I would suspect it derives from an emotional disorder likely caused by poor or abusive parenting. The numbers in this category, I proffer, far exceed those in the first category.

Both of these types, unfortunately, typically crave authoritarian rule. One to be the authority, and the other to be cared for. Even counter-authoritarian ideology is often derived of those who would like to have power, but do not, and thus resent the power someone else holds over them. They are few who feel comfortable caring for themselves, but do not wish to have power over others. Americans, at least those whom I consider true Americans, constitute one of the few cultures which promote such balance. We fear power, because we know what it can lead to. We believe that Lord Acton was wise in his pronunciation that "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely".

But we are waning, and power is becoming popularized again. The country is becoming dominated by those who wish to be cared for. I blame it on the corruption of the family, and kids now grow up to be dependents. It will likely take the experience of tyrannical rule to convince them otherwise. What can we possibly do to save ourselves from that fate?