Power and freedom

Many people desire power and freedom, and think that the one can bring about the other. But amassing power usually means giving up most of your freedom. I am relatively powerless, for example, but my time is my own. I cannot bend others to my will, but I am not bound to theirs.

People who seek power can only acquire it by gathering around themselves a group upon which they can exert their will. A gang, a cult following, an electorate. Power is not a thing in itself (except perhaps for a godlike omnipotence) but is embodied as influence over others.

The problem with such an arrangement is power is never absolute, and you end up with the top-dog syndrome. The person in power must constantly defend that post or someone else will snatch it from him. Most sycophants don't really love you; they just recognize that an association with you is the best way to achieve their own goals, at least for the moment.

Hence your actions end up being those that keep you in power, rather than what you would want to do otherwise. And such actions inevitbly serve to please your followers more than yourself. A person in "power" is really a slave to their servants.

Wishing for omnipotence, such as the magical ability to make everyone think something, or leave you alone, or bring you gifts without you having to do anything to earn it, is another matter entirely, and falls outside of the present discussion.