Power- The Greatest Urge of All

One of the hardest truths to face as human beings, is that the leading motor that drives us- especially those of us of the male sex- is not in fact, the desire for Love at all.

It is the desire for power.

We try to downplay it, we try to hide from it.
We are uncomfortable with it.
But is nevertheless true.

The two novels which fascinate me most have always fascinated for the same reason- they are about power. It truly is the most fascinating of human dynamics, the most alluring of drugs, the only one TRULY, we would ALL sell our own grandmothers for, whatever we pretend.

When I was a student I often used to ask the question of people;
'If you were one of the nine mortal men, who Sauron offered a ring of power too, would you take it?'

Most said 'Yes', but not if they knew they would end up as ringwraiths.
Hmmm.

You see, I used to look inside myself and face that nagging doubt, I would take one even knowing those consequences.

That is the allure of power. The old myths of people selling their souls to the devil for unlimited power captivate for that reason- it is the only temptation we would face eternal damnation for.

Which is why so many have.
It corrupts, like nothing else can.

1984 shocked me on first reading as a student. It was the passage where O'Brien asks Winston WHY the party tortures people and makes them suffer.

He reveals the hard fact; power is a nerve. You only feel it's true strength when people obey, not because they want to, or because it helps them, but because you really are that powerful. The Euphoria of the exercise is in its completeness.

It shocked me a bit- not because I didn't deep down know that- but because it was so baldly stated.
As a political activist at the time, I realised I actually didn't give a damn about my party's policies.
I just wanted a path to exercise power over others.

There is a simple proof that Power is sought more than Love by looking at what people want from recreational drugs.
Ecstasy and Cocaine are not physically addictive- it is the sensations they replicate that people seek.

Ecstasy replicates the feeling of Love.
Cocaine replicates the feeling of Power.

Ecstasy is dirt cheap. Cocaine is relatively, the most expensive drug there is.

Of course. The human race has vast untapped reserves of Love to give. Potentially, its limitless. It's just we waste it. It's not hard to find if we look.
We can all love and be loved many times over.

Power is different. It's not reciprocal. Those exercising it MUST of necessity be outnumbered by those they are exercising it over. That's how it works. To feel more love, you just have to love more. To feel more power, you have to increase the number of people who feel your power and the intensity to which you subject them to it.

If we are honest, most of us hide it well. But nevertheless, we do it.
Why do I work in Sales?
It doesn't ACTUALLY pay THAT well, it's hardly satisfying from a point of view of feeling useful.



The thrill of the kill, I always say.
Or, put bluntly, I enjoy the victory. It's a harmless way to gain that sense of empowerment in the grand scheme of things. Someone's got to do the job, but that's really what motivates most good sales people.
You live for the instant of capitulation, the huge rush that soars through you when you KNOW you have won.

It is the instinct of the panther sinking claws into his prey.

That's how most social dynamics really works. It's pretty much all a game of oneupmanship, pretty much about body language, a lilting voice and a nice smile, as you covertly flash your eyes.
It's the eyes that are the key, of course. Being able to look direct into someone's pupils and hold them till the other person looks away, gives you the edge.

On a social level, societies have always naturally formed themselves into pyramid structures. There's a good reason why it works. The main one is that the biggest incentive to get people to contribute is to reward them with power- it's what the most driven, the most energetic, the most dynamic secretly crave.

It's why most societies, unless huge checks and balances are put in place gravitate slowly towards autocracy, needing the occasional disruption to overthrow an ossified tyranny.
Those who have power will always seize upon a good excuse to accrue more, whilst ignoring a good excuse to lose some.

The world is strewn with monuments, the pyramids, the Taj Mahal, Buckingham Palace, etc, which exist simply to say 'Look at my power, look what I can make people make for me'.

Society exists, simply so those with most creativity can gain their craving.

Yes, that really is true.
That is what makes us human.
It is the unique combination of the predatory monkey.

It is the vicious hierarchy of the ape, with the instincts of the hunter attached.

For without it, communication and co-operation could never have happened.
Alpha Male drove it.



Our ancestors survived and bonded because some compelled others to obey.
Not always through physical force, through the force of eye contact, through the imposition of will.
The art of the extrovert, the compulsive communicator.

For the Artist, the Poet, the Author, the Inventor, the Philosopher, all ultimately strive in their own ways to influence the minds of others, to bring others to their line of thought.

It even drives the saints.

The seeker for knowledge seeks it, for one reason and one alone.

Knowledge is power.

No matter how many revolutions we have, even when we no longer have property, when we have the society that one day I hope we will, there always be elites.

For some will always walk into a room and gravitate to the centre, will be remembered by all they meet, well thought of, respected and generally liked.

And others will gravitate to the sides.

This dynamic binds us, it binds our culture. There are natural born leaders and natural born followers.

It is how we deal with this conundrum in a way that people don't get hurt that may be the greatest riddle of our history.