Arrogance of Power

“Power”, in general, may be a subject of glorification for sycophants and bootlickers, but for pragmatics and intellectuals it's the worst form of despondency that reveals the deteriorated perspectives of the person who possesses it. When a person internalizes the hallucinatory effects of power, he or she loses the holistic view of the system and treads on a dangerous path and eventually gets stripped of the position. In almost all walks of life, the leaders, whether they are into politics, business, or bureaucracy, who nurture ego and shun humility often run the risk of being decimated by their followers someday.

Recently many political leaders like Mamata Banerjee who think their highhandedness is rational just that they are elected representatives of people and have the right mandate to execute any damn thing, even gag democratic rights, they are rapidly demolishing their own existence. Any leader who has an iota of knowledge about statecraft and other leadership skills won't dare to curb the fundamental rights of citizens who are the dispensers of highly accumulated power at the top. This indicates either that leader is bereft of the universal reality or crazily adumbrated by the arrogance of power. The arrest of a university professor for allegedly posting a cartoon that portrayed Mamata in poor light reflects her sheer vainglory and inability to understand humor in a democracy. Being in power doesn't necessarily afford one to become an autocrat and dismantle the subtle fabric of democratic principles.

It's not only the politicians who alone tread the path of arrogance, there are innumerable leaders in diverse fields who have displayed their vulnerability being an addict of absolute power. When someone rises up and ultimately reaches the top echelon, he or she carries along a great deal of gravity of power to naturally become angelic towards the people below the rank, but a reverse thinking process that triggers the adrenalin of arrogance dilutes the entire mix of benevolence and transforms the person into an implausible one who in all probability loses the sight of rationality. What's more portentous then that the leader regresses and becomes an object of ignominy in the eyes of people.