How come once people get power they start thinking only about themselves?!?

Question

Shouldn't it be the opposite? I mean I can understand if some people choose to think only about their success and fame or whatever; but once they get it all why do they keep asking for more instead of turning their dedication to some good cause?!! Goodness sake once you have all the power is it too much for you to give without thinking of rewards anymore? Can't powerful people use the stage for making good changes? How does it always end up in such chaos? Are we humans that greedy!!
Thank you! :-)
(Please help others....If you can)

Hey Char, That's a lovely answer you gave me!! :-) Thank YOU for getting to the root of my question and thank you everybody else who hsn't got a thumbs down from me!! Especially pilgrimspadre, great answer!! :-)

Answer 1

Some people live very selfish lives, without a thought for anybody else but themselves. But, for me one of the best feelings in the world is giving and having the power to make somebody else smile. Some will never experience this beautiful feeling and its nobodies fault but their own.

I think that we have 3 clear groups, here which reflect today's society. I have a feeling I've said this before? *hmm*.

Group 1 - Have, are satisfied
Group 2 - Don't have, are not satisfied
Group 3 - Have, but are not satisfied.

In my opinion, group 3 need to wake up and smell the coffee. Look around them and realise that NEVER will we have everything. Human beings are attracted to potential..what we could be, what we could have!

Groups 1 and 3 should be working together, as a family to fight off poverty. With love and determination, we could one day achieve just 1 group - everybody has, every-bodies satisfied.

Some people only see whats happening in their life, what affects them. Which is why when given a stage, and a voice you should make the most of it. Try to open peoples eyes! One of the most rewarding things about having celebrity status is people listen to you! Whether its absoloute crap that comes out of your mouth, or something worth hearing..everybody tunes in! You can influence those around you, their beliefs, their intentions...You have one chance to make a difference..use it!

This is a really long and crappy answer actually, :-(...Its hard to understand what you haven't experienced...Sorry!

Thank you, enjoyed the question! :-)

Answer 2

Actually, what goes through most people's minds when they get power, is how to keep it. Most people aren't really inherently self serving and greedy. They have all of that heaped upon them by those who seek to use the power that the person has. There is a great scene in Legally Blonde II, where Sally Fields and Reese Witherspoon were talking about this very subject. Sally Field was talking about the fact that Reese's character was naive in thinking that she could do anything for anyone if she wasn't in office, and Reese came back with something to the effect that she was in office and couldn't do anything for anyone anyway.

Most people start out in positions of power with the idea of serving the public. It's only after the public starts serving them, that they get the idea twisted up and confused. A leader is only a better servant, but only if they can resist the temptation to be served!

Answer 3

Why indeed? When true purpose has lost it's meaning once the mountain has been climbed. And not knowing what lurked in the shadow of purpose. Who or what would want such a position but a serpent of a kind , one which knows deception fine. and to those who have made the climb you did this because your motives were not found and revealed before the climb. and you were paid as you can see, the greedy sum for carrying such a seed. You could not know before you went forward to the power to ascend. you could not see that which lurked inside the seed.You did not ask and it did not offer the Q's and A's of reason for.

Answer 4

Hi!

The majority of people don't use the power they have - which is why a minority of those who seek power for powers sake alone (as opposed to empowering everyone and doing some good) give a false impression of what power is about.

Nelson Mandella said some wise words about personal power.

Sadly, while so many stand around feeling powerless, power will remain in the wrong hands. It doesn't take a violent revolution to change things, just more people realizing the power they have and harnessing it.

Good wishes.

Answer 5

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Human history is replete with examples of the above quote, unfortunately it is too often true, Why? Because of our sin nature, we can't get it right! A true leader is first a servant to his subordinates, not a self serving boss. Boss and leader are two different definitions for the same concept, leader.

Answer 6

If you look around you would see that a lot of powerful people do in fact make powerful changes for the good.
Famous people donate all the time.
They don't have to hand over their hard earned cash, but they do, out of the goodness in their hearts.
The shelters built for poor people, are built by someone with a higher power and higher cash flow, they don't have to do this.

Don't let the people with power who are doing things in a negative way influence your views on 'the whole picture'.
Lots of people with power do good, and lots of people with power do bad.
People without fortune and high power do the same thing.

We all have a greedy side.
Plain and simple.
It's not the power that makes the person that way though.

Answer 7

If you want to know a person's true nature, give them power, money, or an adversity. Yes some people are capable of handling all of these things, most can't. As the saying goes: Power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Answer 8

Because they let them!
Who do u think puts those type of people in power?
i recently posed the question of randon selection of leaders;
more than one answered that the person (randomly)chozen
would not be a good leader!!
And presumably they would start "thinking about themselves"
more (than "regular" people).
Of course,its a fallacy- its wrong to think that only some
special persons would not"think of themselves" in that
situation. For we would all exibit this trend,if it is a trend.
For we would all try to think upon our past, about the mistakes we made and about the best way to go forward.
i admit that we do get powerful and greedy people in positions of trust and leadership;but these must be held-in-check by the rules and checks; Rules and checks that came about by slowly and methodically learning-to understand our
mistakes.
Good changes can only come about in this way;similarly
greed and selfishness should have what i call their "personal
prohibitions";that is, these bad traits should be challenged
at-home,so to speak,and more effectively by family,relatives and personal friends.
In this way,once the average person gets in to a position of
power,they will be unlikely to abuse it.

Answer 9

With the Big expensive house and the big lifestyle the bills must be paid...

Taxes on some homes are in the tens of thousands $...

Once you fall into the debt you must have the means to pay for it and hopefully more...It's never enough

There are few that have enough and are content.

Not everyone see through the same eyes

Answer 10

They work their way up to the top and how they work, we may never know. Along the way, they have to focus only on pleasing the top because that is the only way to get to the top. So once they are there, they no longer have to answer to anyone. They are the top now and so they can do anything they want and they expect others to get to the top the same way they get to the top.