the nature of power

What is people’s true nature?

In this world, there are three things that can be classified as power- money, fame, and of course, pure violence. People bowed and relented to power, and the powerful ones continue to rule. And if you wondered why these 3 things, I say- it all thanks to evolution of people.

People, in nature, hate of being hit, scared of act of violence. They bow to those there are stronger to them, and strong rules the weak. These happens during those ancient times or Paleolithic or even older. This is what we call “survival the fittest.”

However, it is quick for people to realize that “the more the better”. No matter how strong you are, I doubt you will survive if ten persons take you on (unless you are superman, and superman doesn’t exist). Soon people realize that more amounts mean more protection, and of course more power. And that’s why they started to categorize themselves into communities, and even some of them build countries and civilization as we knew today.

However, people do not always agree to each other, and more people mean more disagreement. It is also a fact that most people need guidance (that, I presume is the reason of existence of religion) and also there are people, which their nature is to rule. Soon enough, leader existed to represent the community, or rather to rule people which nature is to be ruled. A leader, or a ruler needs support of a large people, and these is when fame comes to play. A leader is the one that leads people to prosperity, however throughout history; it seems that the thing leader do is to bring more people under his leadership, for it means more power of violence. And the “way” is no other than act of violence, and that’s why war existed.

Soon, power changes a new form, thanks to capitalism, when money is the important thing of survival. More money means a magical lamp that granted you wish-for a better luxurious life, or a better protection. So theoretically, people with more money can have more people work with him. And similarly, those people use money to gain more fame, and thus, gain more power of violence.

Perhaps these are what different people and animals. Animal rules by the law- survival fittest. The strong rules the weak, and that’s all and luckily in the animal kingdom, the weak is always more than the strong, so nothing has happened and changed much. However, when it comes to people, more factors seem to come in play.

The question comes, among these three things- money, fame, and power of violence, which one gains an edge? The answer seems to be obvious, but the true answer is no, as three of them all origin from the same root and factor- human fear of violence.

For example, if you are almost died without food and suddenly some people come out with some money to help you, in exchange that you will do what he says. I think you will agree within a sec. Another example, if you are asked by the PM to do something, I doubt you will dare to say no (unless it is an order to suicide). And also another example, king or Bill gates, if they are under custody of those Taliban terrorists, I doubt Bill Gates will say no when the terrorists asked for a billion for their monthly pocket money.

And if you ask me, what is the use of religion? Morality? and all those thing that were taught in Moral education since we are small. However, for me, moral is something that is followed by the ruled people (or the weak), and among the ruler (or the strong) care of things, moral is not really an important factor .If there is something called “bertolak ansur”, you won’t see politician racking their head, using whatever method to get a higher position. If there is something called “bertanggungjawab”, why the military government in Thailand still existed. If there is something called “aman damai”, why there is still war and terrorists act among leader? And if there is something called “kasih saying”, why wars existed since ancient times.

How to change, that, I don’t know.

And that concludes part of my views- the dark nature of human.

Regards
Hyde