Power: The Rich Man’s Meth
It’s like Chomsky repeatedly says: institutions are not about to do anything that would harm themselves.
Power is intoxicating. When men get a taste of it, it is addictive like crack, like crystal meth. Power is the rich man’s meth. Once he gets it, he’ll do anything to keep the supply coming, and to protect his stash.
The addiction causes the person who is in the throes of accumulating and enjoying the exercise of power to not only have the desire to preserve what they have and get more, the very fact of having power results in a greater ability to get more and to keep hold on what they’ve got. It is unlike drug addictions or alcohol, or gambling, or other addictions which weaken the person and destroy their ability to continue. Power acquisition is self-perpetuating. Once you have it, it’s easier to keep it, gain more of it, and prevent others from getting it.
Power is also corrupting, like toxins and additives and harmful drugs. While it is certainly possible to make use of power in purely good and benevolent ways, that is not the first inclination of powerful men. This is because, I believe, of the flawed genetic material we all are cursed with, thanks to the choices our first parents made. Christians like me call it “sinful nature.” Whatever the label, it’s easy to see that people are naturally inclined to survive, to compete, to impatience, and to self-centeredness.
The historical record bears witness to the corruptions that have accompanied the rise to power of many who have gone before us. Dictators, Emperors, Czars, Queens and Kings, Pharaohs, Caesars, Governors, Magistrates, Generals, Chief Executives, Prime Ministers, and Presidents have all been guilty of letting the power in their hands go to their heads, and abuse those under them. It happens so often, it almost seems inevitable, if not for the few exceptions that can be pointed to, the handful of benevolent and good dictators, kings, merchants, and presidents. The corruption that accompanies power is proof of the existence of a flaw in man’s inherited natural makeup.
Historically religious movements attempt to awaken people to this warped nature, and give them tools and motivation to overcome it—Hinduism’s kharma and dharma and reincarnation; Buddhism’s four noble truths and eight-fold path; Islam’s disciplined fasts and prayer times; Judaism’sYom Kippur; Catholicism’s sacraments; Protestantism’s New Birth.
In the past, power was relatively easy to follow as it collected into the hands of the wealthy and strong. It was simple to see that the guy with the biggest house and healthiest family, the one who was always talking up front and leading people to do things, the one whose name everybody knew—that was the most powerful person or family.
Nowadays, society has stratified in complex ways and diversified the institutions which accumulate and bestow power. Now, the most powerful people can escape notoriety through the use of the public relations industry. Now, institutions stand in for people, allowing those within them to be shielded from public scrutiny. The owners and leaders of corporations can influence the flow of information in such a way that their corruption may never be learned about in time to affect their reputation and standing in society.
Educational institutions are controlled by the powerful, because they know that information is a source of power. It is easy to maintain your power if you are on the top of the power pyramid during a Dark Ages; it’s trickier when information flows along digital superhighways within a society which cherishes freedom of thought, of communication, and democratic values. Trickier, but the modern political machinery, and corporate advertising industry, and public relations wizards, and the mass media monolith, and the trans-national nature of the biggest conglomerates, make possible the most breath-taking tricks.
Intelligent citizenship in a world full of power brokers intent on maintaining their hold on society’s mental boundaries is a challenge. It demands a level of attention to detail and a commitment to learning that simply was not required of people a few generations ago.
I must admit, sometimes I have trouble keeping up with it.