Power and responsibility

"With great power comes great responsibility."

This quote is often attributed to Stan Lee, as it is a quote from one of the characters in the ever popular Spiderman comics and movies. That exact phrase may have come from him, but the sentiment did not start with him. A similar phrase is attributed to Voltaire in the 1800's. And there is a passage in the bible that uses different verbiage but says essentially the same thing.

But what does it actually mean? Having power means you can do whatever you want right? Or else what is the point of having power? Being king, president or politician means you get to rule and tell other people what to do does it not?

Wrong on all accounts. The above quote means that power comes with an obligation. Once you have power, yes, you do have an ability that those without power do not. But that ability is not free. It is a two way street. There is both give and take. In most cases the obligation is keeping safe and improving the lives of yourself and those whom you oversee.

In essence presidents and politicians are either on par with or generally are a lesser form of king. So we will use kings as the template for a ruler.

Originally there were no nobles and no peasants. All men were more or less on even footing. Some men were more aggressive and warlike than others. They would raid and pillage and plunder. Other men decided to band together to protect themselves. One man would declare or be declared leader over them. They would defer to him and his leadership, following his orders as long as he continued to keep them safe. When he did not he would be replaced.

Each small area would have one of these leaders who would be called a chief or some equivalent. Over time multiple areas would start to work together to be safer from larger and larger enemy groups. At some point all of the chiefs would get together and pick one to be chief among them all. And that is more or less how the first kings came to be. Their job was the same for a much larger amount amount of land and people as it would have been for their own small piece of land and people. To provide for them and to keep them safe.

In return a tribute would be paid from each of the other chiefs, that was some form of tax from their own lands and people. The king was allowed to use this tribute as he saw fit as long as he was taking the best care of all of the people under his care that he could.  In such a way, the feudal system came into being with all it's lords and ladies and so on.

Kings became wealthy people with the ability to wield great power. Many of them abused it. And when they did, it eventually came back to haunt them. The people that give a leader power will only put up with that abuse for so long before they stop following him or replace him by whatever means necessary.

The purpose of a leader is not to rule. Every leader is a public servant. Or to put it more correctly, to rule properly is to serve. The reason that a group of men lend one man their strength and resources is because they believe that he can accomplish things with them that they themselves are not willing or not able to.

A good king collects taxes so that he can afford to maintain a force to protect his people and to have stores of food kept in reserve in case of disaster. A good king also makes laws designed to protect the rights and lives of his people. It is his job to negotiate with leaders of other lands for the safety and prosperity of his people.

To one degree or another all of these things that apply to a king apply to a president or politician. Taxes, decisions about the military, the making of new laws, they are all part of the responsibility that a leader bears for the well being of their citizens. Unlike a traditional king though, It is even more important for presidents and politicians to use their power for the benefit of their people. This is because they are voted into office and can be much more easily removed than a king.

I am sure you can see by now that in ruling a land, power brings an obligation to those who give you that power. How do you think this same concept would be reflected in a business? Or a religion?