People have a saying, “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This is a ridiculous saying.
I’m sure people don’t really think about the extent to which it might apply. But if we extend it all the way to the only thing people love to think of as the only absolute power, “God”, then we can demonstrate why this saying is ridiculous — pointless at best.
If there is only one god, then by what makes gods what they must be, and this being the only god, it is the only power. Therefore, it has absolute power.
If absolute power corrupts absolutely, and “God” is the only god, then it is corrupt. So then it and all expectations of it in this world are corrupt. It promises forgiveness and life everlasting in “Heaven”? A worthless promise, because it comes from a corrupt being. And if it is corrupt, what can we do about it? The world is what the world is then, created and ruled by the corrupt, and we are subject to it, because we do not have power.
Moving along, if we restrict this expectation of corruption to human actors only, it is still a saying thrown about by hypocrites. I’m sure many of the same people who would use this saying, would refer to the Bible as a source of truth. Yet within those pages are kings such as David or Solomon, who for their time had no less power than any person has who might have this saying pointed at them, yet David and Solomon are not considered corrupt. Not so far as I hear.
David and Solomon are considered wise and just. They are not considered corrupt. But they had as much power relatively as any powerful person in the world.
This saying is stupid. It should be ignored and torn down when bandied about. However, for anyone concerned about power, we should worry more about who we’re putting into power, or allowing to continue to hold power. We should worry about how we allow people to acquire power. These are the real things to be concerned with.