Power can corrupt but it can also care and protect. What we do with it is in the hands of humans. By Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj ji
It’s a known fact that the pursuit of power is a human drive which knows no exceptions. From ancient times to now, man’s quest for power has been fuelled by greed, desire to acquire more with time, envy, jealousy, control and by so many more negative traits. Power, like money, has always exerted a magnetic influence on human consciousness. Every person in whatever role they may be, is driven by or is desirous of power. Without power there is no motivation or evolution. Most of us are aware about the famous dictum that says “Power corrupts man; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” History also is replete with many examples of such people who were corrupted by power and yet, people still recklessly seek power. Any kind of it can be beneficial or destructive depending upon the way it is used. Be it through the power of wealth, knowledge, technology, status or authority.
In truth, all these ‘external powers’ are merely ‘resources’ of the human soul. Souls can use, misuse or abuse these resources depending upon their attitudes determined by their state of purity. Power, truly speaking, is vested in and exercised by the inner being. It is spiritual power inherent in the sentient soul. All souls, in original state, are pure and virtuous. In that pure state, the power is benign, beneficent and benevolent. In that case, it is soft power.
With the passage of time, as the souls play their respective roles in the drama of life they tend to lose their purity and virtues just in the same way as anything new becomes old with usage. The power that was soft, then begins to harden. Soft power is constructive, benevolent and all-inclusive. Its driving force is love, compassion, cooperation and other human virtues. It is free from conflict and clash of interests. It retains balance and sustains harmony. It brings joy and bliss to one and all. Whereas, hard power, in contrast, is harsh, violent, divisive and exploitative. It is based on the faulty premise of ‘might is right’ as against the principle of ‘right is right’ which was in vogue when power was soft. Just as solidification of the liquid in our eyes leads to ‘cataract’ and defective vision, in the same way, hardening of power damages the ‘third eye’ of human wisdom. The inner being then becomes weak and gets afflicted by the five vices of lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego which create attitudinal and behavioral imbalances in the form of likes and dislikes, prides and prejudices, leanings and dependencies, biases, phobias, discrimination and exploitation. When this happens, peace and harmony get disturbed and then begins the craving to possess and acquire more and more based on the faulty notion of survival of the fittest. Insecurity and bitterness resulting from this attitude have pushed nations and groups to deploy power for destructive purposes. Nations incurring huge expenditure on armies and nuclear arms race all over the world are a classic example of this.
The most tragic manifestation of hard power is the way we exploit nature and other creatures on earth. The principle of non-violence is thrown to the winds. Millions of animals are killed daily for food and other purposes. Natural resources are plundered to the extent that today global warming is threatening the survival of all beings on earth. Ironically, the very aim for which humans are abusing power is being thwarted. Despite all such excesses being committed, the desired result of peace and security eludes the perpetrators.
Today, the most powerful are becoming the most vulnerable. Terrorism has taken deep roots. Just imagine the time and resources being spent around the world on safety and security. How far and how long can this dismal state of affairs continueIJ Now it is beyond a man’s capacity to redeem. Hence, the supreme benevolent being, in response to our supplications and prayers, is now transforming hard power into soft power. He is showing us the way where the benevolent constructive power lies.
As children of the supreme being, every human is a soul inherent with core values like peace, joy, love, purity, wisdom, power and bliss. Due to gross ignorance about these very values, we lose our true power and start searching for it in wrong sources. That is why, today the whole human race has become weak and impure. The supreme source of power himself is guiding us all to regain our lost power and sovereignty by imparting knowledge of spirit (soul) through which we would become the rulers of our inner kingdom. So what are we waiting forIJ let us just begin the journey to experience real power by connecting to our true self and supreme source.
(The writer is a spiritual educator and columnist.)