a reply to:
Profusion
That is an interesting question Profusion.
Of course, we know that powerful people get that way, primarily by selling their honour by one means or another, else they would not arrive at the
position they attain. We know also that powerful people very often have interests and priorities which have nothing to do with the benefit of those
over whom they hold power, but revolve solely upon the retention of power, either for themselves, or for their parties and political allies.
However, it also must be said that those who have no power are not necessarily, on an individual basis, any better internally than those who have a
great deal of it.
However, I think it is important to realise, that there are a great many people who have no power what so ever, AND DESIRE NONE! These people ARE
morally superior to pretty much every individual who has ever coveted, desired, or attained any significant measure of power. You see, in order to
desire the sort of power wielded by Billionaires, Presidents, Prime Ministers, and so on, one has to have already been corrupted somehow. It starts
with the ego. One has to have a pretty massive ego in order to believe oneself capable of being a world leader. It does not just take big brass nuts,
but a sort of insidious insanity which hides behind warm looking smiles, firm handshakes, and photo ops for the press. There is no way to consider
oneself worthy of such a task as running a nation, or controlling vast wealth, without first being a narcissistic, possibly psychopathic individual.
No one with an ounce of sense would think themselves worthy of such a task, because no human being is flawless enough to make that belief valid.
So those who have no such illusions about their own worthiness to lead, and are honest about it, those who seek no dominion over their fellow man,
those who believe that everyone should have an equal say, and that the people should be the ONLY power in a nation or geopolitical dynamic,
automatically occupy a much more morally acceptable and reasonable position on a moral scale, because they are not allowing their hubris to overcome
them to the point of narcissism, nor are they lying to themselves and everyone else about their level of perfection. They simply, honestly believe
that there is no way to justify the few claiming to represent the many, while lining their own pockets and those of others who occupy the same social
strata, at the cost of the rest of society.
Now, that does not mean that EVERY person who is outside of the elite in a given society, is a better person than every person who is within the
elite. What it means instead, is that whereas we are none of us perfect, those of us who are outside the elite circles of power which envelop the
world, are not nearly as prone to lying about their imperfections as those within the circles of power. Obviously a billionaire philanthropist who
operates a business which takes advantage of tax holes in order to make money, is no saint, but nor is a drugstore bandit with a six foot long rap
sheet and convictions for murder.
However, when confronted about his tax status, a dodgy billionaire will more often than not pass the buck, dodge the question, answer in an
obfuscatory manner, or plead that his actions were legal according to the law, ignoring the vast immorality of a man who has everything, trying to
avoid paying the cost of success. More often than not, if you confront a drugstore bandit or armed robber of some sort while they happen to be under
incarceration, they will brag about what they do, how good they are at it, how long they have been doing it. Their failings are a matter of pride to
them, one which many wear as a badge of honour. For all that this is in and of itself, utterly pants on head stupid, wrong, and unpleasant... At least
it is bloody well honest.
I would take an honest criminal over a lying politician or businessman in a heartbeat.