Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Double-Edge Sword Called Power


J. R. R.  Tolkien was prophetic in doubting that we can wholly trust anyone, especially ourselves. Even when we strive mightily to be strong and honest, we are weak. Often we fail and backslide. Worse yet, we often and willingly embrace temptation.
All humans are very corruptible. The more centralized and the more formally wielded and officially assigned are personal allotments of that available political, economic and institutional power, the more risky and corrupting it is for each person to wield that power.
Due to the predictable danger inherent in such power-wielding, is the answer to wield no power? No, the individuator and each undeveloped person must wield at minimum bestowed personal power. Too often the unprepared person even botches this responsibility.

The trick to moral, successful wielding of power is to decentralize its distribution into the hands of individuators surrounded by millions of other, free, democratized and willful power-wielders. So distributed, much lessened are the dangers of wielding such power. At the very least, they will not lust so much for the power of powerlessness. On this negative side of the equation, the competition among millions of wielders will lead to their canceling out pernicious side effects. The influence of power-wielding on society is kept harmless. On the plus side, the beneficial result of power-wielding is to make society grow and progress. 

To get to this point, humans must pledge to take five steps and then do it. Here are the steps:
First, the life of individuating must have gained wide adherence among citizens.

Second, all must admit that they are sinners whose lives will be wrecked and whose souls will be fallen, should they choose to accumulate power to themselves.

Third, by accepting that people are basically evil, they will fear the handling of power in a destructive, centralized fashion.

Fourth, by admitting that none is exempt from the innate, human proclivity to be corrupted by amassing power to oneself at any time, each likely has the awareness and will to repel the compelling urge to amass power.

Fifth, each pledges and acts in such a way as to work ceaselessly to keep power decentralized.

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