“What I fear most is power with impunity. I fear abuse of power, and the power to abuse”— Isabel Allende
The lust for power is visible in all spheres of our daily lives: from small families and big corporations to the political arena. One person or a handful of persons are seen vying for positions of control—whether it be authoritarian parents, a domineering teacher, a dictatorial husband or wife, or an officious senior at the workplace. There is no respite from people who just consider their desires and wishes more important than that of their peers or subordinates. Many a time, such behaviour has led to the suppressed becoming victims of personality disorders or physical ailments. The fortunate ones may undergo appropriate medical treatment; some whose illness remains undiagnosed end up becoming prey to exorcism or merely spend their lives in acute suffering.
Power, though easily obtainable, is not something that everyone can ethically exercise. That is indeed the best use, which provides abundance, happiness and prosperity for one and all, but those who are endowed with power can use it either for the benefit of humanity or abuse it for vested interests. Their test is far more stringent than that of ordinary and powerless mortals. An example from our everyday lives could be that of parents having control over their children who, when young, can simply not imagine a life without their care and support. It is up to the parents to keep them dependent on them for their entire lives or provide them with ample education and skills so that they can survive on their own.
Beneficial use of power can never be challenged, but, unfortunately, the world is full of people who use their authority to sneer at the helpless, bully, manipulate and intimidate ones who are under their command. This is commonly understood as an abuse of power. Causing emotional and physical stress, financial deprivation, denying opportunities, taking unfair advantage of others, influencing actions and behaviour of others who are either capable or incapable of resisting, deliberately embarrassing others, and being aggressive or vengeful are some of the tactics employed by abusers.
Perhaps one of the most common abuses of power is at the level of government, as officials can use their position to take advantage of the public and their junior colleagues. They may show their muscles to twist the arms of their adversaries. Leaders can also abuse power by engaging in corruption, getting kickbacks and misusing public funds meant for the betterment of people. Abuse of power has been grouped as governmental and corporate deviance, economic, organisational, and occupational crimes, and public corruption.
In the majority of cases, victims of abuse do not realise that they are being manipulated. They set aside these intrusions as normal occurrences, assuming them to be part of their life experiences. Ones who can comprehend these abuses find themselves incapacitated to stand up against the powerful or feel too vulnerable on account of a deep sense of insecurity and subsequent consequences that desist them from taking any action. They know that no one would come to their rescue if at all they dared challenge a bully.
The courageous who stand up against these waves of gaslighting, brainwashing, fearmongering and compulsive coercion into obedience have little chance to immediately turn this tide, although their perpetual knocking on the doors of sensibility can, in the long run, successfully enable people to see the light
Amazingly, abusers of power somehow manage to gather a large number of supporters who think that by striking an allegiance with them would attract a host of benefits and bring them many advantages. No wonder one can see a resurgence of authoritarian tendencies in many countries around the world. Despite the spread of democracy over major portions of this globe, political abuse of power seems to be seeping into the Third World in particular, where voters knowingly and consciously continue to elect abusive leaders in power.
Personality cults developed over time prevent followers from recognising the true faces of their leaders. Their mental approach can be likened to sheep that constantly need the shepherd to guide them along pastures of their choice where nothing more than nibbling grass is possible because, for growth, one has to traverse rough grounds, defy ordeals and overcome obstacles. Few are willing to struggle, while the rest merely want to lie back and bask in the sunshine of learned helplessness as abusers become more and more powerful transcending their home-ground across other nations as well.
The courageous who stand up against these waves of gaslighting, brainwashing, fearmongering and compulsive coercion into obedience have little chance to immediately turn this tide, although their perpetual knocking on the doors of sensibility can, in the long run, successfully enable people to see the light. They can unmask the self-serving real faces of leaders who pose as saviours, promising protection from a hostile world and raising the flag of justice for all.
Notwithstanding their efforts, the lunatic lovers/abusers of power, now on a more global scale, continue to play havoc with the denizens of this earth, leaving no stone unturned to disrupt the peace of societies without realising that these endeavours can have a damaging fallback. A former leader of a country that is today engrossed in the genocide of Palestinians, Menachem Begin, is ironically quoted as saying, “Peace is the beauty of life. It is sunshine. It is the smile of a child, the love of a mother, the joy of a father, the togetherness of a family. It is the advancement of man, the victory of a just cause, the triumph of truth.”
George Washington, the founding leader of another country, which now has unprecedented control over the whole world and claims to be watching the interest of other nations by proxy wars, advised his countrymen: “Observe good faith and justice towards all nations. Cultivate peace and tranquility with all.”
What a pity that these words remain just words as their followers continue to pursue their passion for abusing the power they are blessed with.