The king is but a chess piece.
It’s easy to become enamored with power.
Throughout history, we’re drawn to those who are powerful. We crave the feeling of power. “Empowering” is now a marketing buzzword.
Whether it’s fame, fortune, or brute force, people love power. We covet it like it’s an object of desire we can possess, control, and transfer at will.
Water
Power is like water. You can harness it, but you can’t own it.
Power flows. It’s dynamic and constantly moving. When you try to hog too much of it in one spot, you inevitably reach a breaking point. Then, power redistributes to restore balance according to laws of nature, not the will of its “owner”. Sadly, it can drown the bystanders as well.
Power accumulates. No known form of “checks and balances” has permanently stopped its aggregation. Power finds a way. It creates tiny cracks and seeps through them when no one is watching. “Wealth is magnetic”, as some put it. Power flows to where more power resides.
Power knows no good or evil. When used correctly, it can shape landscapes and change the fate of peoples. When guided poorly, it can become a flood that destroys everything. The same power that saves one child from starving is putting another on a path to genocide.
In this casual analogy, we are just vessels that hold power. Some of us have a larger capacity to hold and use that power with intent; Others get filled with more power than they can hold, and they overrun with narcissism and greed.
Chess
The king is but a chess piece. Are you here to change the game?