This same week, a female flight attendant was arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle 80 pounds of cocaine onto her flight. Of course, the corruption of power is not limited to or determined by any particular gender. And as demonstrated above and in any reading of the news of the day, there are numerous and plentiful examples of the way people become corrupted when they yield power. Power refers to the ability to control, influence or have authority over others.
“The measure of a man is what he does with power. You may have heard the phrase: “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” These words were uttered by Lord Acton in 1887 he wasn’t referring to politics – he was speaking about the Roman Catholic Church. To save the building Crassus often required the owner to fork over title to the property and then pay rent.” Crassus made a fortune in real estate by controlling Rome’s only fire department and blackmailing landowners: “When a fire broke out, a horse drawn water tank was dispatched to the site, but before the fire was put out, Crassus or one of his representatives haggled over the price of his services, often while the house was burning down before their eyes. In Ancient Rome, Marcus Licinius Crassus (115-53 B.C.) was a General and one of the most powerful politicians. He secretly did this for 13 years, scamming school after school to the tune of $2.7 million with the help of principals who benefited along the way, prosecutors allege.” Ĭonsistently we read and hear about examples of corruption – the abuse of power. “At the heart of the alleged scheme is businessman Norman Shy, 74, of Franklin, who is accused of paying $908,500 in kickbacks and bribes to at least 12 Detroit Public Schools principals who used him as a school supply vendor in exchange for money – some for as little as $4,000, another for $324,000. “In its latest crackdown on school corruption in Detroit, the federal government today dropped a legal bomb on 12 current and former principals, one administrator and a vendor – all of them charged with running a nearly $1-million bribery and kickback scheme involving school supplies that were rarely ever delivered. Now, let’s talk about the measure of a man – as Plato put it – it is what he does with power. There is a link between our thoughts, emotions and weight. One client revealed that she wanted to be overweight to punish her ‘lazy’ husband. “Subconscious benefits to being overweight” We fool ourselves into thinking that resentment will protect us from future pain or that we can use it to punish the other person we only harm ourselves. Resentment can also lead to obsession, insomnia, stress, depression and spitefulness. The Measure Of A Man In this week’s Success Newsletter, I would like to explore the measure of a man – as Plato put it – it is what he does with power.