Saturday 18 February 2012

A Chronicle of power corrupting?

Chronicle is the latest in that sci-fi genre which concerns people gaining super powers and then documenting the consequences. They don't usually have happy endings. This film is about three American lads who discover something mysterious and then use their new telekinetic powers to do miraculous things like building a Lego space ship. It then gets more complex. It is reasonably gripping but I won't be buying the DVD to see it again. But if I come across Chronicle 2 on ITV 3 in a few years time, I might watch it out of curiosity.

So does power always corrupt? Just as in life, there is no clear answer in the movie. It can do both.

The phrase "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" is often quoted on its own. But the second part is less well known: "Great men are almost always bad men". (Attributed to John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, first Baron Acton: with more information here) The second part could well be a nod towards believers in an omnipotent God who might challenge the idea of absolute power corrupting all beings absolutely.

Or is it the other way around: do you have to be bad to gain power? 

Leadership brings power by its very nature. I would assert that all leaders need to understand the power and influence that they wield. 

So my questions to you: 

How well do you understand the intricacies of the power you have? 

How do you know that you are using your power wisely and fairly? 

What do you have to stay hold of and give up in order to use your power well?

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