Power Always Corrupts the One Who Holds It

              John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton once said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."

               Beyond all else, the world yearns for power. Throughout the history of man, rulers, peasants, philosophers, and leaders have all committed countless murders, genocides, and masterminded a number of duplicities. All committed in the attainment of power. These men start off kind-hearted but with time and exposure to power they become corrupt. Power is a mighty force; it affects the way people behave and dominates one’s mind. It is in a way a powerful drug that can lead one’s life downhill. Power always corrupts the one who holds it.

               It is human nature to always want more. Power boosts this selfish nature to such a high extent that many become corrupted. Humans strive to be the best of the best. This has been going on since the beginning of time. Back in the day leaders of different countries fought for land. They believed the more land they owned, the more power they obtained. For example an unclaimed land with an abundance of resources meant cheap supplies to build things that could be sold for profit. Whilst countries may already have an abundance of resources, leaders see this unclaimed land as an opportunity to gain power over more people and power in economics. The leaders desire more control and power then they already have, and are willing to fight one another to prove that they are the best. They no longer care about the safety of the people, they desire more land and will do anything to obtain it. This situation has caused countless wars being fought which resulted in many deaths and poverty within citizens.

              There are two types of power, socialized power and personalized power. There is a simple distinction between these two types of power. Socialized power is power used to benefit others while personalized power is power used for personal gain. Leaders often use both powers equally to govern a society, group, or business; history books never mention a poor king or queen. The corruption begins when the personalized power starts to dominate. The leaders gain but often from the follower’s expense. For example, Marie Antoinette was a French queen that was hated by the people of France. In the beginning the people of France had no complaints towards the way she and King Louis XV governed. Marie Antoinette was soon dominated by her personalized power; she bought a diamond necklace worth more than the income of France in a year. The necklace had cost many lives due to the fact that France was already in debt. The personal desire for something extravagant and the domineering effect of personalized power were the cause of corruption for Marie Antoinette.

                Power has a drug-like effect on humans. Some may describe it as intoxicating, and feel a rush of excitement from even the tiniest tastes of power. Once power has been embedded in the human system it creates the need to gain more. Scientists have discovered the feeling of power is similar to the effects of cocaine. The rush of power increases testosterone and in turn leads to raised dopamine levels, also known as the brain’s reward system and is very addictive. This effect is also obtained when humans consume cocaine. Too much dopamine leads to arrogance and impatience as well as many other negative effects. This excess amount of dopamine is why people with power act impulsively and outlandishly. This addictive side effect of power evokes negative behaviour much like a drug addict with no drugs to consume. The negative behaviour is what causes corruption to power holders.

                Power may arguably be a human’s most vicious enemy. Power can boost the negative side of human nature; the desire to want more, and can have similar effects as a dangerous drug. While there are two types of power, personalized power is the more domineering type and humans are easily susceptible by it. Many leaders start off with good intentions but due to the extreme power on their hands they are lured to the dark side. It is indisputable that power always corrupts the one who holds it.