Man's Weakness for Power

There is a saying: "Those who have the least, give the most." I have no statistical evidence to prove this, but in my experience working for various nonprofits and volunteering in my free time, the most incredible gestures of generosity I have been privileged to witness have come from those who have very little to begin with. These people give because they are grateful for what they have. Again, their possessions are few and their budgets are small, but they give of themselves, their time and what resources they have.

Power has the ability to change this. A humble man can become a tyrant with a grant of power, easily burying memories of a modest past. The Russian dictator, Joseph Stalin once said, "Gratitude is a sickness, suffered by dogs." The breadth of his influence allowed him to comfortably denounce a personal need to express gratitude for anything. He even went so far as to persecute those who spoke of gratitude for their presumed weakness. What is more frightening is that along the timeline of modern human history, Joseph Stalin's sentiments are not unique to him alone.

Throughout history, there have been dozens of leaders of various societal facets across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas who have wielded considerable power, yet have exercised this power with principles absent of gratitude.

Power enables mankind to climb metaphorical staircases that fuel promises of god-like status with every step. When you have climbed so high that you stand alone, it is easy for weakness to seep through the pours of better judgement, compassion and truth. When a man has the power to dictate that he is to be appreciated, there really is no point for him to be grateful.

Thankfully, laws of nature cannot be changed. No one is above being grateful. Those who believe they are will surely discover that the balance of life will deploy forces of every conceivable variety to strip away the power and influence that is so cherished.