With the desire for power comes breaches of ethics we have learned from a young age. Manners were taught, virtues were instilled, and values were passed down. However, there has been a recent influx of ways to "become more powerful". Whether it is financially powerful (getting rich quick), physically powerful (steroids), or socially powerful (social status), we have become a society that has become obsessed with being powerful.
Everyone wants to be rich. There are numerous classes out there devoted on getting rich. Comedians joke about it. Even your nightly news tells you how to win Powerball. But why is this so important?
Money is normally associated with power. Wealthy people are powerful. We look to Bill Gates, Oprah, Ellen, and all of these other high-profile wealthy people who seemingly radiate a powerful presence. We all want to be rich. Why would we want to be poor? The rich seem to have it easy. I know currently I would certainly like to be rich. But is being rich really easier? Managing money constantly sounds like a chore. Wondering if those around you actually care about you or your money also sounds far too taxing. But those are only two downsides compared to the numerous upsides.
Being physically powerful has developed into its own culture. Gym culture is now a group of people who desire to be physically powerful. Let me preface this by saying there is nothing wrong with being healthy. I am not trying to demonize those who work out and become physically powerful for health benefits. But most of these people who desire this sort of power are not doing it for health benefits. It is for the pictures that they take to prove they are powerful. It is used to intimidate and is not meant for oneself. In fact many times the easy way will be taken out of it. Steroids cause water to fill up the muscles giving them the appearance of being bigger physically than the average person.
This sort of physical power is not healthy. There are no benefits to steroids. Many times these people will over exert themselves, or workout with incorrect form to look cooler. This damages muscle.
Finally having a high social status is important. We can't be seen with those who are below us in status. We always have to be seen with our equals. We are always aspiring to be hire. It starts to get cutthroat along the way though. Being powerful and having a high social status usually go hand in hand. Those who have power, rule the world.
I don't mean to sound jaded about these people. It's more inquisitive. What has happened that made us as a society focus so much on power. Power over others, power over animals, power over anything. While everything is good in moderation, we have passed that point. And worst of all, all of this power has lead to control issues.
Control issues can happen in personal relationships or even in world affairs. Relationships become toxic when one party has a desire to take control of the relationship. The power imbalance causes one party to rise and the other to fall. No longer are there equals, but someone "rules" over the other. So much for being happy. You can't be happy when you're in a relationship in which someone has more power. Romantically, it isn't healthy. But that is a different issue.
Even in world affairs there has always been a power issue. From colonialization, to the nuclear arms race, to the Cuban Missile Crisis, to our current time, world power has been on everyones mind. We are currently fighting with Russia in a not so subtle war about who will be the world super power. We fear China because they have the potential to upset the balance of power. Power isn't just a problem on the individual level.
But it is our fault. We always teach each other to want more power. We tell kids to aspire to be a leader and a manager. But we tell them that not because we hope that they will make a change in the world, but because we don't want to see someone else have power over them. Jobs pay better when more power is involved. Modern capitalism revolves around the acquisition of power.
So until we can figure out what our obsession with power is, we won't be able to fix the problems it has caused us.
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