It is a very interesting psychological attribute. How many people when given power are able to remain tolerant with it?
So many people presume that if they had power - they would never abuse it but it is not the case and that runs from every little tiny thing to the most enormous injustices. It runs from the very beautiful girl making her date wait forty minutes whilst she gets 'ready' - to administrators closing threads which implicitly criticise their actions - to a father yelling 'it's because I say so' - to a full on dictatorship with secret police and gulags and so on and so forth. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
I think it was Benjamin Franklin who said if you want to test a man's character do not give him obstacles, give him power.....
One of the most positive things about the UK is the way the balance of power is the way that power is divided between judiciary, politicians, monarchy - each trying to be an effective counter-balance to the other.
Where you have new 'democracies' in countries in Africa for example their traditional ways of balancing power through their ancient and long-held tribal systems are turned absolutely upside-down with the importing of a Western-style democracy .... this leads constantly to examples of dictatorship because the moment one takes away the inbuilt checks and balances to power --- people find it very hard and difficult to resist being totalitarian. It takes an enormous ethical and moral strength to maintain equanimity whilst being given any level of unsanctionable power!
So many people presume that if they had power - they would never abuse it but it is not the case and that runs from every little tiny thing to the most enormous injustices. It runs from the very beautiful girl making her date wait forty minutes whilst she gets 'ready' - to administrators closing threads which implicitly criticise their actions - to a father yelling 'it's because I say so' - to a full on dictatorship with secret police and gulags and so on and so forth. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
I think it was Benjamin Franklin who said if you want to test a man's character do not give him obstacles, give him power.....
One of the most positive things about the UK is the way the balance of power is the way that power is divided between judiciary, politicians, monarchy - each trying to be an effective counter-balance to the other.
Where you have new 'democracies' in countries in Africa for example their traditional ways of balancing power through their ancient and long-held tribal systems are turned absolutely upside-down with the importing of a Western-style democracy .... this leads constantly to examples of dictatorship because the moment one takes away the inbuilt checks and balances to power --- people find it very hard and difficult to resist being totalitarian. It takes an enormous ethical and moral strength to maintain equanimity whilst being given any level of unsanctionable power!