Does everyone want power? And when you have had a taste of it do you want to give it up?

My answer to the first question is “YES” and to the second “NO”.

Just look at the stories we have currently.

President of the USA. Of course the Presidential hopefuls don’t say they want it for the power it will give them. “I am doing it because I want to save America and make it a better place for all.”

Do you really buy into that?

Make America Great Again! Wave the flag.

Then we have our Football/Soccer heads. No one wants the job for the power they will have in instigating football rights to all the media houses together with the advertising rights and the prestige and salaries and bribes that go along with these offices.

No. They want the job to promote football and to stamp out corruptness and initiate transparency.

And lest we forget those at the head of our own Cayman Football Association to especially promote football to the youth.

How noble.

Next we have West Indian Cricket. It is rotten from the top to the bottom and there is no respect by the public to the cricket management nor the players.

And look at their woeful results.

But no one wants to resign their positions because they say they are all doing their jobs well.

Really?

West Indian cricket is a joke. No one wants even to watch it. Now people don’t even want to play the game.

Football/Soccer and cricket. What a mess.

Look at the election in St Vincent. Marxist Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves has clung on to power again amidst widespread shouts of fraud.

There is no doubt he is a charismatic leader but his track record speaks for itself. Abysmal.

But he is there for his people. If he wasn’t there the whole country would be in ruins instead of the select group he has around him.

So what is it about power?

Most of us actually like to look up to someone who is a leader.

We want someone to be God. To solve our problems.

Why can’t we enjoy being independent? Why do we need anyone or a religion to guide us in our lives?

Daniel A Bochner, Ph.D writes:

“Of course we know why people seek power and why they need to control others. Seeking power indicates the need to overcome an inner feeling of powerlessness. Needing to control expresses a feeling that things in general, and especially other people, are out of one’s control. These traits seem to run rampant in the world around us and there is barely anyone who isn’t upset by them. In fact, those who want power and control are even more upset by others who want power and control than the rest of us due to their competitive nature and their view that there can be only one dominant person. For someone not afflicted with these desires, the powerful and controlling are irritating because they step on everyone’s toes with rarely any awareness, or even more rarely, any regret. It’s also infuriating that those seeking power and control often achieve power and control and often seem to garner more respect than anyone else. It is clear as well that those seeking power and control are not mentally healthy. However, their success is intoxicating to them, thus making the possibility of change extremely limited.

“Power and control are so intoxicating, in fact, that they can be considered to be addictive, and there are many power and control addicts. There are problems for the person who seeks power and control (that is, the power and control addict) that might make them think twice about their ways, if only they could become aware of those problems. But the prevailing feelings of power and control prevent awareness of the problem. Essentially, power and control are defenses against feelings of inadequacy, weakness, fear, being unlovable or unloved, and being worthless. Obviously, if a person feels such wretched feelings, there is huge motivation to keep those feelings under wraps. Power and control specifically help in keeping those feelings under wraps. Of course, if someone is feeling powerful and in control, it is unlikely that they will feel inadequate, unloved, or worthless.”

Lord Acton, the 19th-century British historian, said, ““Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

However, a recent study conducted by Katherine A. DeCelles, a professor of management at the University of Toronto, suggests otherwise.

The study found power doesn’t corrupt; it heightens pre-existing ethical tendencies

I leave you with Abraham Lincoln:

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”