Lakshmi Manasa Maddi: Week 10 - The Proper Usage of Power
Lakshmi Manasa Maddi - Week 10: The Proper Usage of Power
Oftentimes, many individuals in our society seek to gain power but struggle to retain it without diminishing the good nature of others. As ironic as it seems, an individual’s potential to exercise power is in strong relation with his or her behavior around others and their perception of that individual. Trust is crucial to the development and acceptance of a leader, and thus, more people are inclined to adopt the mindset of those in who they have faith. Your ability to empathize with them and take their opinions into consideration translates into both a mutual bonding and trust between both parties, resulting in a transfer of respect and power. These qualities play an important role in affecting the constructive measure by which people judge an individual’s decisions and beliefs (Keltner).
However, upon seizing this power, humans fail to recognize that their actions driven by their craving for personal excitement, happiness, enjoyment, and enthrallment deprive others of their liberty. The ability to differentiate between the appropriate usage of the power and its misuse distinguishes a leader from a dictator. Even then, leaders struggle to attain this balance due to the overwhelming responsibility associated with this position (Keltner). I believe that utilizing one’s power to benefit the community will allow individuals to discover the purpose behind their authority while preventing them from abusing this power. By understanding the meaning of the “leader” role, individuals will be able to make more confident decisions that will express themselves while satisfying the people they represent.
Realizing that one’s power is derived from the acceptance of the people, he or she should direct it towards their common good to remove social barriers and promote financial equality (Keltner). Alongside these initiatives, a leader must respect his or her people and foster an environment of unity and understanding, in order to overcome fears of treating individuals on the basis of inequality (Keltner). Protecting everyone’s integrity, and dignity while expressing his or her gratitude are effective methods by which a leader can prove his or her value. Maintaining such a mindset will remind one of his or her inner self of things beyond the fame and “title” an individual starts to possess (Keltner).
Helping combat problems such as social and career inequalities for women, excessive police brutality, and increased unemployment rates, are ways by which people can empower those around them (Keltner). Although you receive a “title” declaring your authoritative position, true power is derived from your genuine efforts to spur social revolutions capable of inspiring individuals to follow appropriate conduct of behavioral values that will last beyond your departure from this world.
Hi Manasa! Your blog post reminded me of one of those SAT passages in the grammar section (content wise and writing style wise, not because of your grammar!) I like what you said about receiving the title for an authoritative position because at the end of the day, something like "President" is really just a title. The person who receives the title is still just a human being just like everyone else, except with a lot more responsibility. I personally agree with trust being crucial to the development of a leader as I value trust in the people around me and I feel very fortunate that none of the people closest to me have really broken that trust. I also like what you said about reaching out to the people subject to power and promoting equality to become a good leader, but I learned from my POAS that sometimes people do these things just as a popularity façade and don't actually care about social inequalities and the people they are trying to win over.
ReplyDeleteHi Manasa, I enjoyed reading your blog post. I agree that good leaders should have the ability to practice selflessness. The people I know who are able to make friends with people really easily have an ability to think beyond themselves and sympathize with others at all times. Politicians all the time try to create this image of themselves because they understand that it is appealing to the citizens.
ReplyDeleteHey Manasa, I found your blog post very interesting as it discusses a different nature of power than what you would typically think. Leaders being selfless and fighting for raising up the people around them would be optimal in our society, and in turn lead to their heavy influence on people that they have helped or affected. This level of influence is definitely one way of approaching power, which contrasts some of the more forceful and militant ways of acquiring it. Helping others and gaining their support and loyalty would likely be the most morally righteous way to maintain and foster a sense of power, but it seems that historically, the more militant and direct ways of maintaining power have been more common and widespread, which is unfortunate. However, I'd hope that leaders in the future would maintain this ideal and strive for this mutual loyalty and influence.
ReplyDeleteHi Manasa, I really liked your analysis about what power really means and how one can maintain power. I agree with you that a leader’s power comes from the support and trust of his or her people. If the person turns into a dictator and abuses people for their personal enjoyment, public support will undoubtedly turn against him. Without the people’s support, a government or leader can not stay in power for too long, because there will be a widespread desire for rebellion. I think a great testimony to how benefiting the community with your power and influence helps to maintain their power if Frederick D. Roosevelt. He was able to maintain his power for four presidential terms, something that no other president before him was able to do. One huge reason he was able to win 4 elections was that he was a leader, not a dictator. He used his power to create many beneficial programs, during the Great Depression, and overall he used his power to improve the lives of the average American worker. He was also able to introduce many measures that helped protect minorities. Through this leadership, he was able to gain the support and trust of many citizens, which helped him maintain his power for so long. In contrast, those leaders who do not implement such measures or those who try to abuse their power, are often quickly stripped of their power. Ultimately, I really agree with what you said about how true power comes from one's actions and their efforts to change their world.
ReplyDeleteHi Manasa! I agree with your point as I've always found it easier to believe someone when I have some form of trust in them or their ideas. Power certainly has the power to corrupt people, but hopefully those who do attain more power will have to prove their competency with it before gaining it. Maybe that's why the concept of representative government has spread to so many different countries and regions throughout history, as people are realizing that their power relies on the acceptance of those under them. Nonetheless, I think it's still unacceptable to abuse power in such a way that you hurt those who you have power over, and it's definitely something that should be managed responsibly.
ReplyDeleteHi Manasa, I agree that power is often synonymous with corruption. It begs the question: is there any way that a person can gain power ethically? I believe that depending on the definition of power, one definitely can. If you think about power like ruling a country or controlling an army or having the ability to hurt people, then it is common that that specific power is gained unethically. But the power that is gained through speaking out against other's misuse of power is usually rooted in the best of intentions. Thank you for your interesting post, and looking forward to reading more from you.
ReplyDeleteHi Manasa! I really like the writing style you employed in your blog. I liked your reasoning behind the true nature of being a leader. Being selfless and working for the advancement of one’s country. Though I would argue that some dictators who have committed horrible atrocities did so to further their own people. Hitler for instance operated under the idea that he would make Germany a great global nation, save their economy, and give them a stable government after the Great Depression. This idea is what got him so many supporters initially. Nowadays there are really barely any politicians that get the support of the entirety of their people. In a way this is good because with the diversity of opinions people have there is no way one-minded nationalism could take root in the US among every single group (though there is a certain group that does seem to follow similar ideologies). Having a selfless leader is increasingly hard because of the many demands a leader has to meet. For instance if a leader wants to push for a climate change reform they have to take into consideration the many people who the coal and gas industries employ.
ReplyDeleteHi Manasa, I also believe that power leads to corruption and all the bad things that come with it. So many world leaders rose to power for noble causes, but were corrupted by the draw of power and the haze of corruption. This is likely why we have so many checks and balances in the United States: it is human nature to want to keep a grasp on power. While there are noble world leaders throughout history, such as Washington who voluntarily gave up his presidency as well as the famous Roman emperor Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus who relinquished the throne after ensuring that enemies were pushed back, most people are just not strong enough to resist the lure of power. Power corrupts.
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