I can almost guarantee that everyone has ran similar mental experiments in their lifetime. All of us at some point imagine holding a lot of power and consequently imagine how we would use it for good, if had only the chance to.

This is why

Most of us enjoy stories about heroes, about vigilantes or otherwise who overcame great odds, obtained power and used it to right all the wrongs.

In other words, It's part of our mental explorations, part of the mechanics we use to even define what's just, and what about this world is without a doubt broken beyond repair.

But, is there any truth to the idea that any of us, that you or me for that matter would actually be a force for good if given power? The answer, my friends, might not be something we would like to admit.

Inevitable Distortion & Corruption

I think I should start this point by sharing a piece of information that has really forged my thinking on this subject. A long time ago my father would give me his psychology books in hopes that I, his black sheep son, would not fall in his footsteps.

Among those strange books, one that I remember vividly twenty something years later is one that discussed psychopathy. Why? Well, mainly because as much as I knew at the time that psychopaths are evil, it never dawned on me that they did not know this very fact.

Yes, this may be an extreme example, but it will do quite well to illustrate my point. You see, at a milder level, of course, all of us have narcissism, and in a more tamed manner, yes of course, we all think of ourselves to be good people. Needless to say this whole thing is a spectrum, but I sincerely hope the picture is becoming clearer.

But what happens to our idea of self when we achieve a position of power? What happens when someone amasses enough power to move the tides regardless of a tendency, a most likely path?

It all breaks down

And even though we would not like to admit it, it's the most likely outcome. You see, our powerlessness in front of some situations, outline and define our behaviors as to operate in society effectively.

The key word here is effectively which has little to do with right or wrong. The right behaviors, the correct actions are not only coded into social protocols, but also insure that society works. It's a feedback system of social lubrication.

This means, of course, that consequences for our actions have to part of a healthy system. Law is an attempt to fine tune the controlling factors of the social protocol, by outlining consequences for undesirable behaviors, but here's precisely the issue. What if there is no consequences?

How does the lack of consequences distort our ideas of justice, of fairness, of right and wrong?

Dictators

As you explore some of these thoughts, allow me to add one more ingredient to the mental soup I'm attempting to cook for us this Monday.

Do dictators think of themselves as good or bad people?

If you are like me, you are probably thinking that it doesn't matter how they see themselves, that Kim Jong-un is a horrible human being and that's the end of it, but if you don't allow yourself to consider his self perception, then I'm failing at making my point.

I can almost guarantee that throughout history, all dictators have fancied themselves fair and just. Forces for good in the world, I'm sure. And what's even more fascinating about it all, is that their followers did as well.

You see, the introduction of amazing power, power without consequences not only distorted the self perception of the dictators, but also the perception of their subjects. And this dynamic is still very much the same today.

If you had the power

Do you honestly think you could do better? I know all of us would love to say that we could, but I think it's impossible to know for sure.

I guess, that's enough to think about... right?