Of Mice and Men

What is it with men and power? Haven't they heard that absolute power corrupts absolutely?

Be it in politics or in the corporate world, men tend to abuse their power to advance their avaricious agendas and proliferate their influence.

When we talk about power, it is always associated with an enviable position, a coveted reputation and an insanely large amount of money.

At the risk of sounding like an angry feminist and consequently cheese some males off, I'd like to qualify that my observation is based on experience and reliable third-party accounts.

As for women who indulges in unethical practices whilst in power, I've yet to meet or hear of any. Neurotic and bitchy, yes. But not to the extent of wanting to jeopardise a splendid career. The furthest she might do is to curry favour by siding with some really important people of the organisation but not without losing her own voice in the process.

Conversely, from time immemorial men are known to misuse the power that has been bestowed upon them for personal gains. This gain can be in the form of money, hedonistic pleasure, and 'hard' assets like properties, precious stones and kept women.

These men do not have any qualms about mixing business with pleasure as long as they are able to reap the benefits no matter how big or small. With immense power behind them, they are sly and ruthless in the pursuit of purely selfish, material pleasures.

Don't they know that everything has its season and it's best not to bury their heads in the sand?

For instance, a dishonorable man would use whatever measures possible to silent a vociferous opponent in an election campaign, such as scheming a way for the latter to be declared bankrupt and evicting him from the land in which he happily resides.

How about the unprofessional conduct at work in order to score points with a potential Wife Number Two? While this one is surely an interesting unravelling to watch, it is not so great when you become helplessly embroiled in the proceeding. That is, you are unwillingly instrumental in making sure that potential mistress is happy climbing up the corporate ladder. And you have thought those sort of things are stuff of legend. Doesn't that just leave a bad taste in your mouth?

Then, there is the story of an impertinent man mishandling his company's assets in order to finance a luxurious lifestyle enjoyed with a string of girlfriends, which had nearly brought him on the brink of bankruptcy.

Lastly, the current ongoing trial of one well-known political analyst for the gruesome murder of Altantuyaa cannot begin to describe the depths of corrupted power of politically-connected men.

Thankfully, there is still equally a large number of wholesome, successful and powerful men who lead others by example. They are far from being disingenuous and hold on to a firm set of principles. They are not easily swayed by cheap sentiments and fawning subordinates and compeers alike.

If only we'd know the true nature of a recipient to a powerful position, then all the unnecessary evils in the world could be thwarted. Alas, life doesn't work that way. We have to revert to our good old-fashioned faith and pray hard that our hunch (or thorough research, if you will) was right.

To purge our societies of corruption and greed, we can at least put in place a fail-safe KPI-ish benchmark that can objectively measure the amount of power an individual is entitled to. Remember my maxim at the beginning about absolute power?

Yet, it's somewhat unfair to squarely blame the men for all the world's trouble. As such, I leave you with two memorable quotes to ponder:

(1) Behind every successful man is a woman.

(2) A woman is the reason for a man's downfall.

And choose wisely. That goes for both man and woman.