The Effects of Power on Responsibility
The Effects of Power on Responsibility
Power and responsibility have a complex relationship that is connected by factors such as a person’s morals and ethics, personality, and under what conditions the person was raised. In a world where power can be found in many forms and in many places, the use and abuse of power can be seen regularly. Power is not just being the CEO of a fortune five-hundred company, or being an elected political representative, the manager of Taco Bell has power, as well as parents as they raise their children. These are the people who have the most influence on how power is used, and if it is used with responsibility. In the United states there are five-hundred and thirty-five congressmen, a president, and a vice-president, whereas there are two-hundred and ninety-eight million citizens. Elected officials represent a microscopic piece of the population, while the citizens are the ones who raise children, teach children, and own and operate businesses, and ultimately keep the country running. Real power lies within the common person, and their use of power to influence those around them to have higher standards of responsibility and morals, because if responsibility is taught well and people have good morals, the use of power will not be abused.
When a person is given power, they become more responsible to society, because that power should give them the ability to accomplish certain things that were previously out of their reach. But that does not mean that their morals, or view of their responsibility to society has changed, it means that they now have the capacity to accomplish things that they could only have imagined before they gained their power. If Lance Armstrong had not been a world class cyclist and a cancer survivor, the Lance Armstrong Foundation would probably not have been such a great success, but since he was a great cyclist and a cancer survivor, he had the power to make such a foundation a great success. But
Power and responsibility have a complex relationship that is connected by factors such as a person’s morals and ethics, personality, and under what conditions the person was raised. In a world where power can be found in many forms and in many places, the use and abuse of power can be seen regularly. Power is not just being the CEO of a fortune five-hundred company, or being an elected political representative, the manager of Taco Bell has power, as well as parents as they raise their children. These are the people who have the most influence on how power is used, and if it is used with responsibility. In the United states there are five-hundred and thirty-five congressmen, a president, and a vice-president, whereas there are two-hundred and ninety-eight million citizens. Elected officials represent a microscopic piece of the population, while the citizens are the ones who raise children, teach children, and own and operate businesses, and ultimately keep the country running. Real power lies within the common person, and their use of power to influence those around them to have higher standards of responsibility and morals, because if responsibility is taught well and people have good morals, the use of power will not be abused.
When a person is given power, they become more responsible to society, because that power should give them the ability to accomplish certain things that were previously out of their reach. But that does not mean that their morals, or view of their responsibility to society has changed, it means that they now have the capacity to accomplish things that they could only have imagined before they gained their power. If Lance Armstrong had not been a world class cyclist and a cancer survivor, the Lance Armstrong Foundation would probably not have been such a great success, but since he was a great cyclist and a cancer survivor, he had the power to make such a foundation a great success. But
Cited: Hesse, Hermann. The Glass Bead Game. New York: Picador, 1990. Boston Globe. 15 March 2007 <http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2007/03/15/charged_marine_sergeant_says_haditha_killings_were_justified /> “Charged Marine Sergeant Says Haditha Killings Were Justified.” Washington Post. 11 June 2006. White, Josh <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/10/AR2006061001129.html> “Marine Says Rules Were Followed”