THE LUST FOR POWER

The people in this world who lust after power, in most cases, become the manipulaters and controllers of the people within society, and they also manipulate and control the course of events in the world generally. These people who lust after power that like to control and manipulate the masses as well as the course of worldly events, do it because they enjoy it, it is a type of aphrodisiac to them. In most cases the security one gets from monetary power ensures one's own survival and that of one's own progeny or those one loves that inherit this wealth. A lust for power in many cases tends to corrupt the people involved. Money is a symbolic type of power, it has an ability to change the course of events in the world generally. Those who lust after power, force the people underneath them into a real and actual sense of conflict with them, this behaviour produces a type of competition for economic survival, and this occurs even though power is not the primary aim or motive in the lives of some of these people who are not interested in power that are more peaceful and harmonious, this behaviour produces stratification as well as class divisions within society. The best democratic representatives of the people (masses) are those who use power as a tool to benefit the people, rather than as a power that these representatives lust after for their own benefit. Most corrupt politicians nowadays who lie and manipulate, etc., are a continuation of the schools of sophistry, Freemasonry, secret societies as well as of all the other black and occult arts and techniques that have been used to attain worldly power. I must add, that the so-called occult arts and magic is a form of symbolic and ritual psychology that utilizes natural laws and principles. The corruption that occurs in the world due to the desire for absolute power can only really come about from a concerted effort on the part of certain people that pursue this goal, i.e., Hitler and the Nazis and the British empire and its bankers, etc. Power in some of its manifestations is all about control and manipulation, if one can control and manipulate something, then one has power over it. A desire for power can be connected to the "divine" or higher self in humankind, it is that feeling of wanting to overcome the petty, limited, finite and weak aspects of ourselves. When our ancestors invented the symbolic archetypal gods of their own consciousness, they transposed these archetypes onto the world in an objective manner as representations of the different phenomenon in the world that occurred around them, they then began to think that these gods really did exist objectively in the universe, they confused subjective desires for the objective reality of things. The symbolic archetypes that human beings have created as the many gods, is a subjective outpouring of all of their inner desires and aspirations that exist as the "higher self" they feel within themselves, this somehow corresponds to the objective, worldy, mathematical, astrological, symbolic and aesthetic qualities and principles that we find exists in the world as natural laws as well as organic psychological laws of the human psyche. Even today we still have monarchs that rule in different parts of the world, we seem to have maintained an undending reign of monarchs since antiquity when kings and pharaohs actually did think that they were gods, we also have the elite classes as well that exist because of class divisions. The different occult practices, such as magic and Freemasonry with its different rituals and so on, is an attempt to enforce and express the sense of power that some people feel within themselves, this is a feeling as well as an intentionality that they feel they need to enforce onto people and the world in certain ways. A strong belief in magic itself in the sense that it works, is a belief that certain techniques of manipulation as well wilful influence based on natural laws and principles have a marked effect on people, society, nature and the world generally. Many of the techniques and laws of magic seem to exist and are very logical when understood properly, yet the mistake that many deluded occultists make, is that they actually believe and think that gods, demons, angels and external intangible forces exist, yet this type of self-induced delusional aspect of magic seems to help these people feel that there is more meaning in what they are doing than what actually exists and is occurring in what they are doing. Ritual itself is an aspect of magic that induces conviction, affirmation and self confidence in the magician, yet they are not wielding mysterious forces that exist outside of themselves, they are in tune with energy and are working with natural laws that actually exist and can be explained logically. Magicians use symbols, archetypes and the concept of correspondence as well as astronomical patterns in their rituals, workings and manipulations, they also use oratory and phonology to influence, control and manipulate the minds of people, they also use every possible form of guile and deception, whether political or sociological to make situations and events go the way that they want them to go. Hitler was, I am sure, one of the greatest magicians to have ever lived, and this is because he believed in and utilized magic and the occult to manipulate and change the course of worldly events to conform with his own will, he also knew and was able to make things in the world go in the way that he wanted them to go in generally, this is, in a sense what real magical power is, it is a sort of effective manipulation of the world to conform with one's own will by using natural laws and energies. Magic and the occult for those who use it and truly believe in it, is a type of self possesion by symbols, beliefs, principles and natural laws that have been passed down through time as well as tradition and has been used in certain ways to cause changes, these things have been used by people on society, it is this way of thinking and behaving that gives these people power over the masses or the uninformed within that society. There are many ignorant people in society today who do not think that the people in positions of power are manipulating them in many and very specific ways, yet it is this ignorance and indifference by the masses generally that actually enables the enlightened elite classes to create this ability to manipulate the masses in the many ways that they do. Knowledge is power, in the sense that knowledge enables us to control and master the different situations that happen in our lives, we need knowledge so that we do not feel powerless in the situations that we find ourselves in. When it comes to power, people are more interested in what they can do with the power, rather than with the power itself, the power itself for its own sake can only give a person a buzz that seems somewhat empty and devoid of meaning without something specific that can be done with this power. If people were interested only in power then they would relinquish it or give it to someone else that they cared about once they had got it. The desire for power is really all about control, manipulation as well as the ability to change the course of events in the sense of what can be done with this power once it has been attained. Most of the biological organisms that exist within nature are designed by nature to manipulate other organisms as well as some of the other tangible things in its environment in some shape or form, this behaviour is very natural and spontaneous, this behaviour is conducted by organisms in order to make the things in its environment somehow conform with its desires, its will or its natural growth generally. Examples of the desire of an organism to manipulate another in nature can be seen in the way a child cries for its parents to give it milk or in the way a dog barks at a person or another animal in order to protect its own territory by scaring them off, etc. The desire to manipulate, control and change our environment as well as the other organisms within it in certain ways, are some of the main reasons why people lust after power and its attainment. Aggression in the form of retaliation is also a very basic form of manipulation and is one of the main reasons why men nearly always fought with weapons to protect the territory that they lived in from any outside invasions. A passive creature that does not know how to manipulate situations or other organisms in nature would not last very long, this is why manipulation and control as well as the desire to wield power became desirable survival qualities in evolution. The most intelligent people within any environment was usually better able to manipulate the stupider ones and the stupider, more ignorant ones were usually less able to manipulate the more intelligent ones, this can be mostly seen in the many ways in which the elite classes were able to manipulate the masses with their knowledge, religion, money, customs, laws and so on. The will to power in the Nietzschean usage of the term, was in the past a survival mechanism, because any manipulator and controller of people, resources and the environment generally had a greater chance of survival for his or herself as well as their own progeny within a scarcity based environment, this scenario that I mention was an evolutionary form of survival of the fittest. Yet in a modern world where there is no need for scarcity and where people are less ignorant generally, especially of actual hierarchy and power structures, then power itself loses most of its appeal as a goal worth pursuing. The will to power is not the essence of reality itself as Nietzsche always liked to claim, it is merely part of a process within a scarcity based context where the strongest compete for limited resources and opportunities as a means to survive and control others. It is clear to see that when this limited paradigm of a will to power as a means of survival within an environment of ignorance and scarcity has been overcome, then the people who are strong willed and healthy will be able to direct themselves in many other avenues according to any new values and paradigm shifts they choose to pursue. Nietzsche claimed that "the will to power" is the most life affirming drive for all people. Nietzsche's way of thinking implies that a desire for power, manipulation, control, etc., is more life affirming than being an explorer, adventurer, scientist, mountain climber and deep sea diver and so on, which are in their own way very life affirming pursuits that do not really involve a desire for power as such. It is the different things that we most value in life that makes us feel that we are affirming our own life, it is this as well as our desire to really understand and comprehend reality and our place in it that are most life affirming for us. The people who are most interested in power are like the blind leading the blind, this is because a lust for power breeds an ignorant satisfaction from its own desires. Most of the people of the past that lusted after immense power, like Napoleon, Hitler and Stalin, etc., were all deluded charlatans. It is the most intelligent and the most wise of a species that know how to lead the masses properly, it is they that enable growth and progress to occur. The power hungry politicians as well as all those who desire power, cannot be said to be the ones that solve the problems of the world, they create problems as well as add to them, this is because they are not qualified to solve problems or create growth through knowledge, only technicians, scientists, thinkers, intellectuals and philosophers solve the problems of the world, it is they who increase and produce all the real growth and power in the world. The desire to "grow" as well as "unconceal" what we do not yet know about the cosmos due to our ignorance of it, is in a sense a more useful drive than the desire for power itself. Power concerns itself more with the desire to control and manipulate the ignorance of others through deception in order to satisfy one's own whims, vanity and pleasure. Apart from the desires for procreation, pleasure and happiness that exist to a lesser or greater degree within us, we mostly live in a world where "intentionality" and "struggle" are the main existential purposes of biological existence, some struggle for power, others struggle to enforce their values and personal choices onto a mostly indifferent world. All that we do is a choice, there are no rules or meanings written in stone, only the intentionality of our choices and values. To find meaning from what exists, is up to us alone. Those who are not interested in power are just as important as those that are, the one group balances out the other, if everyone was interested in power then there would be a state of endless conflict and mayhem in the world. The belief that "the will to power" is the essence of reality for all organisms, is just another useless metanarrative that attempts to rob people of their own individuality and uniqueness. The desire to rebel against those who are stupider and more ignorant than oneself is the natural instinct of all free peoples, especially if this rebellion, and defiance is aimed against the power hungry manipulators of the world, it is only the dumb and the passive that get manipulated and fooled or who fail to find a way out. Making our lives interesting and fulfilling by the use of knowledge, culture, constructive endeavours, sympathy, and humanity is far more valuable than the pursuit of power for its own sake, power in fact is only useful in regard to improving our lives. Strength is a more useful drive than the will to power, strength enables us to shape events and circumstances in any direction that we choose, regardless of power, the will to power is merely a vain indulgence. The problem with most of humanity is that it tends to bow to the inevitable, people are lazy in regard to rebelling against custom. People need to learn to rebel against the mediocrity that exists in modern culture, they need to rebel using strength, effort, courage and intelligence. We shape reality according to our vision, some people envisage doing evil, others envisage more positive and constructive endeavours. A mistake that many philosophers and people make generally is that they expect others to follow them and conform to their own way of thinking and living. People should be encouraged to be different, it is what we represent as individuals that most counts about us. A society full of highly individual people that are unique is more dynamic than a herd of people who are forced to conform to each other or to particular standards and customs. The will to power can be cruel and wicked, much evil is done in the name of power and systems of hierarchy, this way of thinking in general tends to advance the masses towards a state of repression and oppression. People are becoming increasingly more rational and ethical as time goes on, and what counts is that all systems of government enable and encourage people to become great in their own way, rather than allowing them to follow the ideal of an immoral "overman" or "superman" who is beyond good and evil, this is merely a fantasy for all the irrational, egocentric people of the world. In Nietzsche's hypothetical theory of "the will to power" as the so-called essence of reality, he also proposes the classical Greek concept of "agon" as an alternative to democracy. Nietzsche disliked democracy because in his view it creates oppositions and divisions amongst people, whereas in the concept of agon, which represents a sort of conflict, competition and struggle towards similar power based goals he thought he had found a good alternative to democracy. Nietzsche always harked on about individualism, yet he expected everyone to follow the same sort of power based goals through the concept of agon. When people are allowed to express their individuality through political freedom, then oppositions and divisions occur naturally among different types. Democracy endows all people with the ability to enforce their own individuality and sovereignty through the conflict, competition and struggle of agon, this is because the concept of agon cannot replace that of democracy, these concepts must be used together to get any realistic results and solutions in the world. Nietzsche also claimed that the will to power produces a sense of freedom, he also mentioned that this type of freedom produces happiness. I must point out that Nietzsche was incorrect in assuming that the will to power produces freedom, it does not, it produces manipulation and control. Manipulation, and control is not freedom, a sense of freedom can only be produced through democracy, agon, fairness, the need for an open society as well as a desire to implement equal opportunities and privileges for all citizens politically, it is this type of freedom that I mention that produces real happiness. Political equality always works better in theory than it does in practice, in practice different people are always naturally unequal on many levels. The concept of agon as a reality is only useful in regard to conflict, competition and struggle in the sense of expressing and enforcing one's individuality, values and sense of freedom towards others and the world generally. Those who use agon in the sense of a will to power, will do this anyway, yet this is not the only purpose of agon for all people. I mentioned that "the will to power" or "the lust for power" is a sort of survival mechanism in people through which a use of manipulation and control through domination of others and the environment seems to insure their own survival and that of their progeny as well as being a guarantee of them living well and pleasurably. Sometimes this survival mechanism is taken to an extreme by some individuals because of their vanity; Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon and Hitler were all vain people, it was what they were able to do with their power that flattered their own sense of vanity at everyone else's cost. A lot of the conflict and unhappiness that exists in the world today among different people are caused by some of the following reasons: (1) We think that we are separate individuals, which we are to a certain extent, also we put our ego's, vanity, uniqueness and our sense of separation above connection, similarities, congeniality and friendship with others. (2) We act out of self-interest without ever questioning our real motives for our actions or the pursuit of self-interest beyond the obvious reasons of self-value and the need for self-belief for reasons of confidence, etc. (3) We follow ideals that in their very essence maybe flawed or questionable or even deluded, such as spiritual or mystical beliefs. An atmosphere that is allowed to become too good, kind and peaceful does not necessarily make societies prosper, in fact history has shown that an atmosphere of freedom, conflict, tension, struggle and competition are what makes societies prosper well. What counts in my arguments so far is the fact of knowing how to distinguish the different motives, reasons and elements of a dynamic and prosperous society as well as knowing the mechanics, truths, illusions, delusions and realities of it also. A sense of happiness, and unhappiness is mostly a state of mind rather being solely a matter of conditions, so as long as people have some food and water and freedom they can be happy in a state of conflict, struggle and competition. Some people make the mistake of thinking that societies can improve and prosper if there is a significant amount of peace and kindness in the world, but this is not so. When we speak about power as a quality that exists in the world, and in organisms generally, we say that it can exist as power over oneself, or as power over others, or as power over the environment. Natural power is an unmotivated power, it is not a deliberate willing of power, it exists as a natural product from the natural abilities of the mind and body of the user, whereas will to power is a deliberate type of power, it is consciously willed, it is usually desired out of a sense of insecurity. Secure people do not want power over others, only the insecure do; Julius Caesar's strong desire for power mostly came from an insecure feeling that he had when he compared his accomplishments to that of Alexander the Great when he had reached a certain age. In the struggle for existence, defending your village or state is an act that has been done out of the desire for security, so once your village is safe from outside attack, you rest secure, but if one is constantly afraid of an outside attack, one then becomes insecure, which forces one to subdue outside invaders, which leads to the desire for even more power, all stemming from a basic insecurity, which then becomes a vicious cycle. We can say that power is a measure of the ability of an organism to control the environment around itself, and this includes control of the behavior of other organisms also, which I mentioned earlier. Now, if most people wanted power, they would all be trying to become politicians or rulers, which as we know, is the most effective way to attain and wield power. We do not see a great desire on the part of most human beings to attain power, we do not see the majority of people in the world trying to become politicians, rulers or controllers of others, this is a myth that Nietzsche invented, because he desperately wanted to outdo the theories of Schopenhauer and Darwin. Politicians and rulers exist because somebody has to do this job of governing other people and the environment; politicians and rulers are assuming a position that needs to be taken by someone who wants the power to govern and control others for survival purposes. Ascetics mostly want power over themselves, in the form of control over themselves. Nietzsche was such a miserable human being, that he deluded himself into believing that most of humankind is motivated more by a desire for power, than it is for a desire for happiness and a sense of well-being. For most people, the desire for power is a means to an end; people want whatever power is needed or required to fulfill their own values. Nietzsche's ideas concerning the "Will To Power", and how they are connected to the "Ubermensch" concept; seem to me, to be highly contradictory and inconsistent in nature. He claims that the "Ubermensch" type, is a master morality type, whom also desires power over others, and is also represented by a need for "The Will To Power". Yet, Nietzsche also claims that "The Will To Power" does not concern power over others, but only means self mastery. Now, how can this be correct? How can you have both these opposing things connected towards the same conceptual drive, without seeing the obvious contradiction? But still many Nietzsche scholars seem to go along with his ideas without even bothering to question this error that I have mentioned.