What is "power"?
I know, it's a strange question. I've asked a few of my closest friends the question (not quite as spicy as when I ask them about spiritual matters... since they're athiest, but it was still a bit out of the blue), and probably the most intelligent answer (more than 1 syllable) was...
"So many answers for that..."
Well, that didn't help me at all. It all started when I was fighting with a liberal over how the country should be run. I, being a rabid libertarian that only barely stops from tumbling over the line into the realm of anarchist (and I do still consider myself to be one to a degree), adamantly sided with giving the power back to the people. Our liberal friend did all but give me a link to a picture of Obama.
To make a long story short, by the time our discussion was over I was left with a bad taste in my mouth, mostly over a single realization- liberalism, going so far as to include socialism and communism as well in this generalization, is based around a philosophy of, "Take from those who have it so that we can have it instead." As unpopular as the opinion may be, I've always been one to defend the rich. It makes absolutely no sense to me to take from the rich so that we can give to the poor. How would the poor feel if they were rich and the government took from them? If the government wants to give to those in need so badly, they can earn the money themselves. And we all know that's not gonna happen. We'll be hard-pressed to see Obama out on the White House lawn washing cars for a charity.
Obama's new tax policy is the perfect example of what I mean by this. It doesn't matter how rich those top 2% may be, the entire policy is based around taking money from them so that we on the bottom 98% can have it. It's selfishness. Yes, I understand that it's selfishness for the purpose of making things "more equal", but to what lengths should we go to achieve equality? Is it truly in our best interest to let equality, as nice of a thing as it may be, step on the toes of freedom? Suddenly, the government is taking from someone to give it to another in the name of equality!
How is that fair!? Equality, fairness, freedom, I've always been of the impression that the three things that we should all be working towards! But now we're sacrificing one in the name of another!?
I don't know... I guess it all comes down to what we each, as individuals, place emphasis on. I, personally, place freedom above all. I applaud the anarchist who can dream of a world where all people are free to decide for themselves. Capitalism, despite its many flaws, reigns far supreme to the "intentions" (I question how "good" they are) of a socialist economy.
All this to say, these things have led me to my original question- what is power? And what role should it play in our lives?
A quick, offhanded definition of it would be "The ability to influence a person or organization has over an individual, community, or population." I guess in the end I wonder how such a thing should be dealt with. I, for one, deal with it violently; seeing power as a kind of ceiling that has the potential to limit the dreams I may choose to attempt to realize. I easily liken power to a kind of masked stormtrooper in a line of riot police, ready to fire tear gas in my direction when its given the order.
And yet, socialists around the world (communists as well for that matter!) seem to rejoice at the thought of being controlled! They seem to achieve some kind of masochistic gratificiation from the idea of being told what to do. Sit, stay, roll over, play dead (bang!), just like the Nazis and the Blackshirts used to do! Is allowing the government to be our dominatrix truly the answer? I refuse to believe it is; I laugh at the thought of the Statue of Liberty dressed in leather, holding instead of a book and torch a whip and leash!
I'd like to think that we, as citizens of a nation- that we, as a people who can stand strong after an event such as 9/11 in a proud display of unity- can survive without the oversight of an administrative "parental" figure.
I'd like to think that we can live our own lives without the government being our father. I'd like to think that we can live our lives without a kind of reverence (which I readily liken to fear) similar to what we'd have for our biological father for the government. I'd like to think that we can survive without saying to the government, "Yes, sir. No, sir. As you say, sir."
I'd like to think that we can stand strong and say to him, "Sit the hell down and shut the fuck up!"
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