Power

[poliphilo]

I had power once; footling amounts of it, but still enough to make me feel special.

It was fun.

I was the vicar of a small parish in the north of England. I didn't like my churchwardens and I suspected they didn't like me.

Now the churchwardens are supposed to be the representatives of the people; the people elect them and they're there to keep t' bloody vicar in check. This didn't stop me sniffing out and promoting candidates to run against the chaps I didn't like. Ooh, the ducking and diving and back-stabbing- and all of it conducted under a razzle-dazzle camoflauge of sunny smiles and Christian fellowship. It was a thrilling time and I won.

In the process I learned that the powerful:

(1)find democracy inconvenient and will do all they can to subvert it;

(2)are hungry for love and approval;

(3)lose touch with reality;

(4)lose all sense of proportion;

(5)persist in regarding themselves as the good guys in spite of all evidence to the contrary;

(6)believe, again in the teeth of all the evidence, that they alone know best;

(7)are permanently high on the excitement of it all;

(8)are intolerant of criticism and squash it where they can;

(9)will lie and lie and lie, rather than admit the slightest failing or weakness (even to themselves).

Once I'd worked all this out (which took many years) I resolved never to place myself in a position of power again.

Comments

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

I've never been in a position of power, but I have been around people who were, and few--none--would be this honest about it.

My sisters were very popular in school, something I never experienced, being an introverted reader-in-corners. They both said they worried all the time about losing their place at the top.

I've known more than one retired man who was once in a high position at work, and in retirement they seemed baffled and hurt that no one saw them as important anymore.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Power is a powerful drug. What must it do to someone like Bush or Blair or Putin or any national leader to see his face plastered all over the media all the time, to receive that constant attention and flattery and subservience?

I got just the weakest taste of it and the buzz was huge.