People Without Meaningful Lives Seek Power Over Others

Mindset Shifts ^ | 24 Aug 2024 | Barry Brownstein

[Rummyfan]

One of my more memorable exchanges with a student came in a principles of economics class. Part of the assignment for that week was chapters from Matt Ridley’s The Rational Optimist. Ridley compared the living standards of an average worker today with those of The Sun King, Louis XIV, in 1700. Some of my more ahistorical students were incredulous at Ridley’s description of the grinding poverty of the average person just a few centuries ago.

The King had an opulent lifestyle compared to others. Louis had an astonishing 498 workers preparing each of his meals. Yet his standard of living was still a fraction of what we experience today.

Ridley outlined the miracles of specialization and exchange in our time — an everyday cornucopia at the supermarket, modern communications and transportation, clothing to suit every taste. If we remove our blinders and see how many individuals provide services to us, Ridley concludes we have “far more than 498 servants at [our] immediate beck and call.”

Then, the memorable exchange occurred. One student shared that he would prefer to live in 1700, if he had more money than others and power over them. My first reaction was amusement; I thought the student was practicing his deadpan humor skills. He wasn’t. For him, having power was an attribute of a meaningful life.

If only my student’s mindset were an aberration.

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TOPICS: Miscellaneous; Politics; Society
KEYWORDS: ancienregime; barrybrownstein; blaisepascal; economics; france; louisxiv; mattridley; mindsetshifts; pages; power; thepensees; therationaloptimist; thesunking

[Rummyfan]

During the reign of Louis XIV, French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal diagnosed why some lust for power. In his Pensées, Pascal wrote, “I have often said that the sole cause of man’s unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room.” Pascal explained that, out of the inability to sit alone, arises the human tendency to seek power as a diversion.

A thought piece for Sunday morning.

[Track9]

Oh the tranquility of solitude.

[DIRTYSECRET]

You mean childless cat ladies?

[Jonty30]

I can see this. When you see yourself as incapable, you want society to do it for you.

[Sirius Lee]

Oh the tranquility of solitude.

If only other people would leave me the hell alone!

[Tench_Coxe]

Describe’s today’s Left. (And some on the Right as well)

[marktwain]

Excellent essay. It puts into well written words thoughts I have been grappling with.

The idea of a lust for power as a means of diversion is a powerful one.

Similarly, hedonism as a means of not considering your life, as a diversion from thinking...

Good article.

Christians say Christ sets us free from being a slave to sin. Very similar notion.

[kosciusko51]

“And he can’t even run his own life
I’ll be damned if he’ll run mine, sunshine”

[Track9]

I never knew that type to have peace of mind. More manic weirdness. Talking to themselves etc.

[MayflowerMadam]

Quit pickin’ on me. 😉 😻

[DIRTYSECRET]

Interesting article. Author leaves it to us to apply it to today’s circumstances. What did they call the clowns that entertained kings. Jokers?

[lgjhn23]

“..If only other people would leave me the hell alone!...”

^THIS!!!^

[Track9]

Love your tag line. Great!

[DIRTYSECRET]

Not pickin’. I’m a dog man. Labrador-closest to humans in temperament.

[ClearCase_guy]

I think it is a great tragedy that the 1960s youth movement turned into a Marxist, hedonistic, pro-government, anti-Christian, tribalist nightmare.

Up until about 1968, a lot of the beatnik/hippie/yippie culture was focused on anti-government, self-improvement, personal tranquility and simple social solutions to local problems. But that movement got blown out of the water and many activist Baby Boomers decided to push for Maoist solutions to everything. It became all about running other peoples’ lives, largely as a result of angry individuals who couldn’t run their own.

[Indy Pendance]

"A person able to exercise coercive power can use their morally undeveloped “wretched” mind to create endless misery for others merely because exercising power distracts them from their failures as human beings. "

This sums it up nicely.

[DIRTYSECRET]

There’s more. In big companies the bosses would dare us to quit every morning we showed up for work. They did it through the newest policy or directive. Some would take them up on it and the cost of new-hires was managable. Those sticking with it were the stronger, more patient ones. First level supervisors were the real cowards as they had more pressure to buy into and knew where their bread was buttered. Throw in everyone having bills to pay, especially a mortgage. It doesn’t help that the more driven ones end up with the more attractive spouses and that consumers want too much of what they don’t need.

Take away the hostility and people get lazy. Another human condition.

[kosciusko51]

That’s about the time the “red diaper doper babies” took over the movement.

[FatherofFive]

Cat ladies, HR departments, bureaucRats

[metmom]

I have come to the conclusion that people who are obsessed with controlling others do so because they have no self-control.

Since they can’t control themselves and live they life they want, they try to force others to live in such a way as to provide the life they want.