Over the last almost 12 years, I have written much on power. Why? I retired as a teacher/mentor to bright, high-achieving, and powerful people. I had to become a student of power and leadership to understand their behavior, and in the process, I discovered myself as one of them. In my 27 years as a leader of my organization, I never looked in the mirror or asked what kind of leader I was. I just led, as did those I eventually began to work with. So, as I educated others to know who they were, I was also learning more about who I was.
On our journey of mutual growth, leadership and staff learned and experienced the amazing results that occur when becoming open and vulnerable. That is the point I keep making and probably will as long as I can write my essays.
On the other hand, unenlightened power is at the root of the world’s problems. Those who weld it have the ability to destroy not just a country but the world and civilization as we know it. I’ve been writing about free will and power, and my conclusion is that if people who are blinded by power choose, we are all dust. This isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds. Throughout history, millions have died for this “love” of power and will likely continue to do so.
I have no answer to this possibility. We live our lives, and in so doing, we either give in to power or don’t. I have had difficulty with power since I was a child. My approach was to fight it face-to-face if necessary. Even as an old man writing essays, I still do.
Power is a word—Not in the hands of people—It is a “potential.”
Sy
