That Baffling Human Paradox
With great power lies great responsibility. Unlike nature that has very efficient methods of balancing power centers, man’s power centers are haphazard and self-regulated. Man is the only creature who can simultaneously live in two worlds: one on the inside and other on the outside.
And both can be diametrically opposite.
Besides, man can use borrowed powers: the powers developed by peaceful intelligent people can be used by destructive, unintelligent people. Creative growth solutions meant for peace and development can be used for destruction, genocide and terror. This combination of delusion and acquired potency brings forth counterfeit leaders and politicians and a hollow or forced governing system.
Every governing system no matter how beneficently conceived eventually tends to exploit the weaker segments of society. History shows us many examples of the worst implementations of benign ideologies. Communism conceived for equality and sanity has been applied by most insane dictators. Equal powers for all is used as all powers for one. Karl Marx and Lenin could never have imagined communism the way it was applied by Stalin.
Albert Einstein considered the theory of relativity that resulted in atom bomb, as his single greatest mistake in life. On the other hand, Harry Truman celebrated the night Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed.
Money that was invented as an excellent solution for relative worth has become the root of all evil among humans. A solution designed for active easy flow became an excellent method for passive, concealed hoardings.
Any creative idea comes as a coin: with both positive and negative sides. The owner is free to encash any of its sides. He is free to buy bread or poison from it. Ironically nature has no substitutes for wisdom. And it has no shortcuts to acquiring it either. Hard earned knowledge always carries wisdom within itself whereas book-acquired knowledge doesn’t. A life lived honestly and fearlessly produces knowledgeable and wise men: men with empathy, righteousness and intelligence.
Contrarily, pseudo knowledge earned in degrees, skills and techniques results in egotistical, destructive and rigid men. Men who do not know the worth or effect of power never hesitate to use it for wrong reasons.
It is a paradox that the more knowledgeable a person becomes the less he yearns for power. It seems as if in some warped way, power attracts the corruptible. A wise person will always hesitate to lead masses whereas an immature person will always rush towards it. So much so that he wouldn’t object to crushing others to succeed in his ambitions. Men love to reap where they never sowed.
Acquiring power helps a person ignore or hide his inferiorities or complexes.
But the fact remains that the big shots are only little shots that keep on shooting. Contemporary society which confuses power with greatness, has encouraged this mutation to flourish. Our social system has a tendency to respect the wrong attributes in subtle ways. The human power pyramid is working upside down. Rather than respecting individuals we respect possessions. This is one of the greatest tragedies of life as we know it to be.
Without a doubt….the right power in right hands blended with knowledge, wisdom, love and respect for life is humanity’s most urgent need at this time.
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Hi Ashima,
Just wanted to say that I loved reading your text.
It’s short, sharp, and smart. Just how I like it.
best
Great article Ashima,
straight to the point, concise and penetrating right to your mind…
You really have a talent for that….
Congratulation!
Andrey
Nicely structured thoughts…….
And true to the test of time too……….. in most places
But I would like to differ with the thoughts that were mentioned about the correlation between wisdom and leadership. If that is right then we are directly questioning the credibility of the great leaders that came up from time to time and revolutionized the way things worked. I believe, wisdom along with the leadership qualities is powerful enough to change the scene altogether.
Keep the good work going…
Kishor
Dear Kishor,
Thanks for your response
Your statement reminds me of one of my teachers in college.Mr Rajan Khirwarkar was a deputed as a faculty of design for a very small period. Where every other Professor talked about discipline and rules, he used understanding and inspiration. That was the year when our class best performed(it includes three nominations for a national competition);all from one particular class.
If we look back, the most important leaders of time were evolved and not made.They evolved because of their superior wisdom and the intention to serve humanity.One common attribute in all of them was the intention of serving people and not ruling them (Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson mandela, Abraham lincon and the list goes on).Again it is a paradox that one who serves in perfection, leads in perfection.
Hey Ashima… great article.. loved these lines “Man is the only creature who can simultaneously live in two worlds: one on the inside and other on the outside.” so true….