Power

Fear gripped everyone on the plane: its wing had exploded; the engine had stopped – and it was plunging rapidly towards a baseball stadium filled with 80,000 spectators. Disaster was inevitable and a new tragedy was about to be written into the volume of history. Just as the passengers became resigned to their fate, a blue and red blur shot through the sky, and the planes descent slowed to the point of barely moving until it was gently placed upon the ground.  Superman had saved the day, again.  

 When we were young, power seemed to be a good thing.  

 But now we are adults, ‘power’ seems to be a bad word. We shudder when we hear it. We run from it; we hide from it, and we do not trust it. 

 Who can blame us? We hear testimonies from women who have been sexually harassed by men who had a more powerful position than them. We see images of death and destruction caused by powerful dictators. We watch a viral video of a police officer killing a helpless citizen, and we feel deeply disappointed when the news breaks bout someone we once looked up to, using their influence to do something they shouldn’t have.   

 Power is bad we conclude, so we endeavour to get rid of it. But we cannot. Power will always exist. We can protest against it, oppose those who hold it, and forcibly take it from those who weren’t worthy of it. We can even renounce any power that we hold. But we cannot destroy it. It will always be there waiting for someone to take it. Like a twenty-pound note left in the middle of the street, the question is not will someone take it, but how will they use it when they do? 

 So, here is my plea to you. 

 We need men who are ready for power when it comes their way; men who know that outward reform begins with inward renewal; men who use their power not for their own benefit, but for the good of those they hold power over; men who use it to protect those who cannot protect themselves, who robustly act against the great injustices of our society and who cannot be swayed by those who want to corrupt them. Might this be you?