Power and Politics - Addiction to Sex and Power?

by Margaret Paul, Ph.D.

This article is about the fact that, unfortunately, many of our country's leaders are motivated by their addictions to power, approval, sex, and control. Neither our government nor most big businesses are based on the spiritual principles of compassion and caring about the common good, leading to the hunger, homelessness, crime, health problems, and drug abuse and sexual addiction that are endemic to our society. Many of the leaders in our society are operating as wounded children, run by their addictions to approval, sex, power and control. Few truly healthy individuals want to put themselves through what a politician has to go through to run for office - the verbal abuse both given and received, the huge amounts of money spent, the integrity sacrificed through the concessions, lies and manipulations offered in order to win. Our system of electing our officials is so corrupt that there is little possibility of attracting a person with a strong, personally responsible, integrious loving Adult. Few people of integrity are willing to put themselves through what they have to go through to win. This is not to say that none of our elected representatives are honest and caring. There certainly are many, but they are, unfortunately, a minority.

Our leaders are not required to do the healing they need to do to become honest and trustworthy. There is no training required in personal responsibility to run for office. In fact, just as there is no training required for parenting, there is no training required to be president. All it takes is enough money, enough powerful people, being male and white. In our "advanced" society, we cannot even let a woman lead. We cannot even let the president's wife take a leadership role.

A wounded child-adult who desires approval and power is very available to corruption. "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Power corrupts when what a person wants is power over others, and few people have done the healing they need to do to be beyond the desire for control over others. If a loving Adult was in office and was much more concerned with serving the people than with getting re-elected, much could be accomplished, as in the movie Dave. In this movie, the actual president is in a coma and the people in charge don't want the public to know because they want to maintain control, so they put a look-alike into the president's seat. Dave, however, is a man of heart, and rather than allowing himself to be controlled, he sets about making changes - cutting money where it is not needed and putting it into child care and the creation of jobs. He even takes responsibility for the corruption of the actual president and gracefully "dies" as the actual president is dying so the vice-president, a man of great integrity who was much maligned by the power structure, could take over in his rightful place. The movie is, of course, a fantasy. We would never elect a man of such integrity - a straightforward, honest, caring, and financially poor man like Dave. The powers behind the throne would never allow it.

Revamping our election process would give people like Dave an opportunity to run for office. We desperately need people like Dave who care more for the common good than for their own popularity. We need brilliant, creative, honest and caring people to lead our country, but this will never happen with our present election system. We have incredible talent in this great country of ours, talent that could eliminate hunger and homelessness, and heal the internal wounds that create health problems, drug abuse, sexual addiction and sexual abuse, racism, violence and crime. But this talent never gets tapped into because running our country has been about the earthly values of greed and power over others rather than about the spiritual values of honesty and caring.

Unfortunately, neither our government nor most big businesses are based on the spiritual principles of compassion and caring about the common good. I have no doubt that if our government was based on spiritual values and the common good, we would not have the hunger, homelessness, crime, health problems, drug abuse and sexual addiction and abuse that are endemic to our society.

About the Author

Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is a noted public speaker, best-selling author, workshop leader, chaplain, and Inner Bonding facilitator. She has counseled individuals and couples, and led groups, classes, and workshops since 1973. She is the author and co-author of eight books, including the best-selling Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By You?, Healing Your Aloneness, Inner Bonding, as well as Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By God? She is the co-creator of Inner Bonding, a powerful spiritual healing process. Her Web site offers much information and help with the Inner Bonding process. Please visit authors website at MargaretPaul.com