Human society has always been based upon power. Those in power control the reigns of society, and those without power desire to take power. Unfortunately, as a general rule the process of accumulating, and maintaining power, almost inevitably leads to corruption. All of society is corrupted by power.
Now some, nay many would argue that money corrupts just a quickly, but money is just another form of power. It is the power to purchase the tools of power. It is not surprising in the least, that those in power generally have the money, own the resources, and control the wealth. This is true whether it be the Party leaders in Communist China, or the rich, affluent politicians that sit in the White House in the U.S.A. Everything in our world of human society is based on a desire for power.
Why do we so want power? We desire because power is the ability to control, the ability to influence, to set our will upon objects, against problems, and over people. Nietzsche was in many ways correct when he speculated on the Will To Power. George Orwell, in his book 1984, characterized perfectly how power was the driving force of government.
In contrast, what is happiness? Happiness is an imaginary state that the mind enters when it feels that everything is going in the way it wants, in other words, that it is in control, that it holds the power. When we feel we are powerless, we feel weak, and vulnerable, and unhappy. When we feel powerful, we feel strong, satisfied with ourselves, and content. Happiness is an emotional feeling of satisfaction with the power we have.
Knowledge is power, is the old proverb, and this too is applicable. Knowledge is the power of reason, the power that comes from knowing what can be done. From knowing the how, one can then seek to understand the why. And this is where power has no grasp.
Why does power corrupt? Because power in the hands of one, is less power in the hands of others. The more power one has, the more ability to break the rules, which were after all, made to limit the use of power. Yet the rules, paradoxically, are enforced by power.
The only way to dismiss the corruption in society, in all of humanity, is to eliminate power entirely, or to equalize power such that it is equally distributed amongst all. Unfortunately, this concept has never been applied successfully, because to distribute, requires that for a short time, power goes into the hands of one or two, or an official party. And inevitably, those hands become reluctant to relinquish power. And so they keep the power, at first thinking that they will justify their power by not acting corrupt, but in the end, they all fall to the temptation to wield power for their own personal gain.
Humans are ingrained with a desire to survive, and to do this, one must achieve power over other things.
To save Humanity, we must end the desire for power. There are some, usually those without the power that say, that we should balance the power, to equalize it. But the truth is, that so long as anyone has power, power will bring inequality.
Destroy power; this is the only way to end corruption. But one needs power to destroy it, and thus another paradox comes into play. There is no way to destroy power, unless we destroy ourselves.
The only way to defeat the corruption in power is to put in power, those who do not desire it. But who doesn’t want any power? And how can power be wielded fairly, such that someone that doesn’t desire power, will maintain it, rather than give it away.
The conclusion is to find someone, who is so different, that he/she is appalled by power, would rather die, and probably in such circumstances, has no will to live. For a will to live indicates a desire for power. We must find an altruist, who hasn’t already killed him/herself, or died of neglect.
The antithesis of power is altruistic empathy. To feel for another, to understand another, and be aware that this other person is like you in every way. Here, the commonly idealized, and rarely applied Golden Rule is convicted. If one feels for another in the same way they feel for themselves, then and only then is power overridden.
But empathy is not strong enough without perfect understanding of one another. And since perfect understanding is nigh impossible, we cannot achieve a way to benevolent, non-corrupt power.
The perfect government, is one in which the population all love a perfectly empathetic power holder, who does not in any way, choose to wield the power, except to maintain equality.
The cost of government is freedom. The cost of equality is freedom to take and lose power.
Freedom is power. Oppression is the lack of power.
Communication must be perfect. If information is not perfectly transmitted, then knowledge is unequal, and thus, so is power.
Power is like the opposite of entropy. A person with power, once he loses his power, will transfer this power to whoever took it from him, and thus this power is magnified.
Benevolence is the possession of power, and choosing not to use it, except to benefit others, rather than to augment the will of one. To create a benevolent government, the leader must have no desire to wield power at all, and must retain this lack of desire, despite having the enormous temptation to use it. Thus the leader must be immune to human failings, or have a foundational psychological fear of power. Obviously, it goes without saying that the leader can never attempt to be happy, or else, it would be selfish.
Therefore, in any government, power should be concentrated in those who do not want it.
The alternative is to mask power behind an ideal, to believe for instance totally in the concept of a higher desire to preserve humanity, for this is the ultimate power. Humanity as an abstract, only increases in power with time.