by Bob Trowbridge

Created on: January 20, 2009

Political power is misunderstood. Violence is misunderstood. The relationship between the two is misunderstood. One oft-quoted statement about power is, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."*

I might agree with the last sentence, that great men are almost always bad men, except that it would not be true that bad men are ever great men.

As for power, power does not corrupt. Now there are hundreds of examples of those who come into positions of power and seem to be corrupted by that power. Religious leaders and gurus seem to sometimes follow that path, along with politicians.

I do not believe that power corrupts politicians, but there is a direct relationship between power and violence. However, it is not what you think. Isn't it curious that, with 300 million people, the U.S. has such a hard time getting honest people in our highest offices, congress and the administration, and even the Supreme Court?

That is simply because great men and women and honest men and women, men and women who feel a sense of personal power, are not the least bit interested in positions of power. The reason we have such poor leaders in our country, and around the world, is that powerful people do not seek positions of power.

Those who do seek positions of power are those who do not feel powerful. Those who seek positions of power are the weakest and the least powerful our country has to offer. Power does not corrupt them. The search for power corrupts them.

How does this formula end in violence? When a weak person, like George W. Bush, manages to get into a position of power, it is his expectation that attaining that office will make him feel powerful. It does not. For one who does not experience personal power, no position and no accomplishment will ever make them feel powerful. Personal power comes from within or it does not come at all. No external position of power will every make anyone feel powerful.

When being in a position of power does not bring a feeling of power to a weak person, the next step is to exercise your power. "If I exercise my power," you think, "then I will feel powerful." However, when you try to do that, it will also not work and you will still not feel powerful.

This process continues and escalates. Ultimately, the effort to feel powerful through exercising power will end in violence. The most violent politicians, presidents, dictators, kings, queens, prime ministers, emperors, and little gods have been

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