Misuse of Power

 

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Misuse of Power

We are all aware of the famous statement – “Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.” And we have seen this happening throughout history and even in the modern era. Politicians refuse to let go of power and hold on to the same by fair means or foul, in the bargain looting the taxpayer and lining their own pockets – this is a global phenomenon.

We can look at this in another way – everybody is full of violence, greed, anger, passion, but they have no power; so, such a person remains a saint. To be violent one needs to be powerful; to fulfill one’s greed power is required and similarly to satisfy one’s passions one has to be powerful. So, when we get power all the sleeping dogs begin to bark. Power comes as a nourishment, as an opportunity. It is not that power corrupts; we are already corrupted from within – power only brings that corruption out into the open.

It is not power that corrupts us, we carry corruption within ourselves; power simply gives us the opportunity to do whatever we want to do. Power in the hands of a man like Gautam Buddha will not corrupt; on the contrary, it will help humanity to raise its consciousness. Power in the hands of Genghis Khan destroys people, rapes women, burns people alive. Whole villages are burnt — people are not allowed to get out. It is not power… Genghis Khan must have been carrying all these desires in him.

It is almost like when rain comes, different plants start growing; but different plants have different flowers. Whatever is hidden in our seeds, whatever is our potentiality, power gives us a chance — because most human beings are living so unconsciously that when they come to power all their unconscious instincts have a chance to be fulfilled. Then they do not care whether it kills people, whether it poisons people…. Power is misused because we have desires which are ugly, which are an inheritance from the animals.

Even parents use power. Teachers use power, husbands use power, wives use power. It does not matter where we are. If mankind comes to understand the deep psychological roots and changes man’s unconscious so that there are no seeds, power can go on raining but there will be no flowers of corruption. Otherwise, power is going to be misused always. And we cannot take power from people’s hands; somebody must be a mother, somebody must be a father, somebody must be a teacher.

The only way is, to cleanse people’s unconscious with meditation, fill their inner being with light. It is only meditation that gives us a clean heart, which cannot be corrupted. Then power can never be misused, then power can be a blessing — it is going to be creative. Then we are going to do something to make life more lovable, more livable; to make existence a little more beautiful.