“Power corrupts; Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
An oft-quoted phrase when referring to politicians or CEOs. The implication being that great men are generally bad men. I was reminded of this proverb when I was watching a Discovery channel show on TV about the brain. The show presented a statistic: ”One out of every 100 Americans are psychopaths.” Well, approx. 3 million Americans are not serial killers — so what does this statistic mean? The show explained that, by far, psychopaths are not the Mansons and Bundys of society. Psychopaths are characterized by risky behavior, lacking an ability to internalize social norms, and a large identity of self. Very few are on the continuum of cold, heartless murderers — psychopaths tend to become our politicians and our CEOs. They are the money-makers and the big-wiggers.
However, according to the December issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, this truism is no longer true. Much like marital faithfulness, chastity, honesty, etc. — the corruptive power of power is apparently an old-fashioned wife’s tale. According to the article at livescience.com about the study:
“Strike one against the idea that ‘Washington insiders’ are corrupted by power and can no longer think independently. Rather, new research based on experiments with college students who were primed to feel powerful suggests that, at least in some cases, power tends to shield people from outside opinions, leaving them to rely more on their own insights.“
It seems that an experiment with college students has reversed what has been intuitively and historically true about power corrupting. This article is immediately linked with President Obama:
“It also suggests President-elect Barack Obama may be shielded from the influence of advisors once he is sworn in this January, said researcher Joe Magee of New York University. Our research suggests that people may not need to worry too much about power corrupting Obama,” Magee said. “His newfound power might enable the change he desires rather than that power changing him instead.“
So the realization that power actually never has corrupted, as common sense would suggest, is overturned now that Barack Obama is elected President. Apparently the lesson learned with George W. Bush is immediately forgotten as we anoint this corrupt-less leader.
As with all things that come from isolated academia, their conclusion, seems to me, to be the opposite of what common sense would say. ”Powerful people, such as CEOs and other higher-ups, including Obama, might be protected from corruption, especially if it goes against their personal values.”
So, Obama’s newly received power will actually protect his character instead of corrupt it. All this from a study with college students.
Scripture tells us quite the opposite:
“We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.”
God has revealed to us that power indeed does corrupt.
Even the same site, livescience.com, has an article explaining how power and corruption go together. This latter article states, “Power has been and will forever be entangled with corruption for various reasons.” Psychopaths indeed.
Characteristic behavior of power-corrupted individuals typically includes lying. This psychopathic sense of invincibility leads them to believe that they can say whatever they want with no consequences or accountably. Sound like our politicians and CEOs? From Eliot Spitzer to Enron; from Clinton’s “I did not have sexual relations with that woman” to Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” — corruption’s main diagnostic symptom is lying.
Science says, “Around age 2 or 3, children realize that they’re not under constant observation by an all-knowing, all-seeing Eye of Truth.”
The Gospel says that God never stops observing. We don’t “realize” that no one is watching; we just stop caring that God does watch.
We lie to others, we lie to ourselves, we lie to God. However, God is not mocked. He knows the truth — he knows the truth that is in your heart. You cannot lie to Him anymore than you can flap your arms and fly.
The same is true with corruption. Corruption might yield you power and gain temporarily in this life, but once again — God will not be mocked.
“When we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.”
Priesthood authority can never be corrupted or unrighteously used. As soon as we begin to do those things, the Spirit withdraws and our actions cease to be authoritative.
Power corrupts; corrupted people lie. It has been true since this world began. It is still true.
