By Lubna Abdel-Aziz Of all men's passions, power looms as the most dangerous -- "a great aphrodisiac," once tasted, its craving never stops. Does power corrupt? Absolutely, and the rest of the quote is known to all. Call it a disease, an obsession, an addiction, whatever it is, the stricken must have more of it, and the more one has the easier it is to abuse. A favourite topic among philosophers, sociologists, psychologists and others, it is much debated in books, articles, surveys, and studies. The consensus is that power is endemic to humans, but it is always controlled by a balance of power between relationships. Parents have power over their children, teachers over their students, physicians over their patients, a boss over employees. That is legitimate power. Then there is the power that is insatiable and uncontrollable. Once you are powerful and elite, it is almost impossible not to go forward. Power never takes a step back. Some have wisely categorized it as "a disease, one has no desire to be cured of." All these theories are being displayed daily on our television screens, as we watch the notorious Clinton couple, Bill and Hillary, lust for power with such ravenous gluttony. The Clinton saga could well be a thesis on power -- how to get it, how to use it, how to hang on to it, and if lost, how to retrieve it at any price. There they stand with their naked souls, crying as loud as they could -- give me power, give me more, give me, give me! The former president of the USA admitted last week that when he left the White House, the highest seat of power, he was totally lost for 3 weeks, unable to figure out what to do with himself. Now he strives to return to the White House via Hillary. In one of the many books about her, Hell to Pay: The Unfolding Story of Hillary Rodham Clinton (1999), author Barbara Olson, traces Hillary's transformation from an extreme conservative Republican into a militantly radical Liberal. She easily gave up her principles for her ambitions. How and why? Simple! She met Bill Clinton and took a gamble that he was the best shot at achieving her goals. One could presume that he did the same thing: "They are united by an insatiable drive for power and prominence," by a calculating belief that their grip on power is more important than any scandal, infidelity, or abuse." If he is indefatigable in this campaign trail for her, it is in essence his secret mission for regaining that aphrodisiac found in the White House. Why did she stand by her man during his many crises? Out of love for him, or out of love for power? Olson explains "unless he retained power, she would be unable to retain hers." Now the tables are turned. Staunch Democrats, they must love the party that supported them through the years, elevating them to the highest office in the land. Now the Democratic Party is in disarray because Hillary Clinton will not give up her campaign, regardless of how grim her prospects are! Many of her friends and colleagues have come out in support of her rival urging her to bow out. Experts claim that the math does not favour her. Numerically it simply cannot happen. But how can she relinquish the promise of all that power. Author Olson unveils Hillary "as a living paradox," rather than an advocate for the persecuted or a friend of the downtrodden, with none of the compassion she tries to demonstrate. Hillary's private persona "bespeaks a singular cruelty towards her subordinates." In her blind quest for the White House, could she have lost sight of her objective -- to serve the public? "We have, I fear, confused power with greatness." In his book on Power, British philosopher Bertrand Russell claims that the fundamental concept in social science is Power, in the same sense that Energy is the fundamental force of physics. "Like Energy, Power has many forms such as wealth, armaments with authority, influence on opinion." All are equal and interdependent. Unlike animals, the infinite desires of man are power and glory. While animals are content with existence and reproduction, men desire to expand, and in this sphere their imagination is boundless. Every man would like to be God if possible; some find it difficult to admit the impossibility. Such men like Idi Amin, Hitler, Stalin, Napoleon, Nero, are among many who refused to admit the limitations of individual human power. Love of power is greatly increased by the experience of power. Once the delights that power affords have been tasted, more is never enough. Power over human beings is manifest by making them submit to do things they would rather not do. We all do that to a degree, as with our children, but we also use this power to reward. When power reaches a state of abuse it prefers to inflict pain rather than permit pleasure. German philosopher Nietzsche corroborates this theory. He connects the desire for cruelty with the pleasure in the feeling of power. How often did you make a certain request of your boss, only to be refused? His love of power derives more pleasure from a refusal than a consent, "No" gives more pleasure than "Yes." That is why power is such a dangerous passion which makes despots of its owners. Like addictive drugs, power continually needs stronger doses to produce the desired effect, and like drugs, self destruction is the inevitable outcome. One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them. So did J.R.R. Tolkien express this natural drive in his Lord of the Rings t rilogy and his hobbit Middle World? So it is in our world. Who pays the price of acquiring the ring? Does the fault lie in the power giver or the power taker? We, the human race, lust for a good number of things, but we are able to overcome our impulses because our civilized societies teach us to control such behaviour. If we hand our politicians too much power and they turn around and abuse us, who is to blame? Perhaps the American voters will eventually get what they asked for -- Hillary Clinton. Power will intoxicate the best hearts, as wine the strongest heads. No man is wise enough or good enough to be trusted with unlimited power Charles Caleb Colton (1780 -- 1832)
