Briefly, About Power

I had a brief, cogent thought about power, and I thought I'd share.

Power is most often described these days with the axiom "power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely."

They cite the many failures of the modern age, whom we assume had nearly unfettered power. Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao, and, of course, Hitler are the most common examples. See! That power is too much for any one man! Democracy has its downsides, they say, but surely it is safer than that!

Well, in reality, there have been many good leaders who have wielded power with precision and tact, for the overall good of their country. A better axiom would be "power is a lot like heavy machinery. If you let an untrained fool use it, something will get destroyed, but in the right hands, it's a magnificent tool."

Power is not for children, or those adults who have the maturity of children. In responsible, adult hands, however, power is something that can create cities of gold, send men to the stars, and even transcend death itself.