The Effective Use of Power Without Attempting to Control

by Lester Rennard

The consequences arising out of the desire, lust or fight for power have created more pain in our world than any other single desire of which one may think . Wars have been fought and continue to be, resulting in the loss of millions of lives over the desire for power. One individual seeking to control others may resort to any means to gain the power to do so. The likes of despots such as Adolph Hitler and Idi Amin are testimonies to the evil that can result from the abuse and misuse of power that causes mass destruction of lives.

It must be understood that the desire for power in itself is not necessarily evil. Nothing can ever be accomplished without the use of power. We give power to those we trust to govern and manage the political and economic affairs that affect our lives as citizens. We place power in the hands of judges to administer justice and in the hands of law enforcement agencies to enforce the rule of law. We give power to doctors and other health care professionals to administer to us procedures that can potentially harm or bring about our demise. To educators, we give power to educate and prepare our children for their lives' careers and responsibilities. Members of religious bodies give power to pastors, priests and other leaders to nurture their spiritual needs. In family relationships, spouses give power to each other that can have serious consequences for good or bad.

Legitimate power when acquired appropriately and with the right motives to advance the interest of the ones who confer such power is a sacred trust that must be cherished and guarded with vigilance. Since we live in a world that requires by necessity a great deal of interdependence for any meaningful co-existence, the mutual exchange of power among people who share a common goal or destiny is paramount. This mutual exchange creates a check and balance since power has a tendency to bring out the worst in human nature.

As the late 19th, early 20th century Neapolitan-British historian Lord Acton observed, "power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Absolute power in the hands of mortals regardless of whether it is political, religious, economic or otherwise is unwise at best and calamitous at worst. When one is able to sway absolute power without accountability to anyone - his words become law and he himself can not be questioned or be subject to any law, such a person is elevated to the level of a god who has within the power of his word life and death.

The democratic mutual exchange of power prevents such possibility of despotism since the one into whose hands power is vested by the people is accountable and subject to the people who retain the power to relieve him of his position of power, should he fail to accomplish the will of those who place him in power in the first instance.

To a greater or lesser extent, we all willingly give power to others over various areas of our lives but we will naturally resist any attempt of those to whom we give such power to control us. Power constitutes a privilege to serve while control suggests a desire to become a master rather than a servant. Since we desire to retain the right to be our own masters, we will resist any effort from those whom we empower to serve us who confuse the privilege of power as an opportunity to usurp control as our masters.

In the delicately intimate relationship between a husband and wife, when motivated by selfless love, they each mutually grant power to the other to serve their needs. As long as that arrangement remains functional, their relationship will thrive but when one begins to abuse the privilege of such power to attempt control over the other, the relationship suffers damage and if not reconciled may die.

For power to be effectively used as a privilege of service without any attempt to usurp control, the one so entrusted and empowered must need be secure in his or her own sense of self. The attempt to use the privilege of power to control arises out of a feeling of insecurity and inadequacy and therefore a need to be served rather than serving. This feeling of insecurity and inadequacy places one between a rock and a hard place.

They do not feel that they have the capacity to serve as it is required by virtue of their empowerment. They can not give what they do not have and since this feeling of inadequacy makes one feel a lack of control over his or her own life, they resort to a natural desire to regain that control over themselves by presenting themselves to be served rather than serving. The only way they see themselves being able to accomplish this desire is by elevating themselves to become masters and thus requiring others to serve them by abusing their privilege of power to control those who they should instead be serving.

In conclusion, one is not qualified or ready to receive the sacred trust of power if he or she is troubled by unresolved insecurities and feelings of inadequacy. The combination of insecurity, inadequacy and power will naturally result in the abuse or misuse of such power. The most obvious sign of this insecurity and abuse is the attempt to control others. The symptom is the same whether in the home, church, workplace or in politics.

When one is in control of self, secure and self-confident, he or she has much to offer and can be entrusted with power to be a servant. He or she has no lack that demands the need to become a master of others and therefore no need to want to usurp control over those they should be serving instead. Notwithstanding, grant thou not to any mortal the deadly and deceptive weapon of absolute power.

Copyright (c) 2006 by Lester Rennard