Abraham Lincoln is said to have said “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” But whoever said it was right. As a soldier, I saw leaders abuse power. I had to be on guard myself because power is intoxicating. And there were times I crossed the line. You call this failure. In politics, the abuse of power always lurks in the shadows. We see it at all levels of government and particularly with the plethora of scandals in Washington today. Lord Acton, an English historian, politician, and writer, said it best when he, in expressing his concern about papal infallibility, noted “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” I know of few admonitions that better fits the temptation of power in politics. Acton also said this: “Liberty is not the power of doing what we like, but the right of being able to do what we ought.” This is what I glean from all of this. The power to do right is a power that sustains a people’s worthiness of self-governance. My meager contribution to the quotes of really great men whose shadow I am not worth to stand in…
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 11:59:21 +0000
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