We often say that power changes people. That success corrupts them. That authority twists something inside. It’s a comforting belief, because it implies that before the power, everything was fine.
But what if power doesn’t change people at all?
What if it simply removes the disguise?
Power doesn’t create new traits — it amplifies existing ones. It turns the volume up on whatever was already playing quietly in the background. Kindness becomes generosity. Insecurity becomes control. Integrity becomes consistency. Ego becomes entitlement.
When someone gains power and becomes cruel, distant, or self-serving, it’s tempting to blame the position, the money, the title. But power doesn’t invent cruelty — it gives it room to act without consequence. It takes away the need to ask permission. It removes the friction that once kept behavior in check.
In that way, power is less like a poison and more like a mirror.
We see this everywhere: leaders, influencers, parents, partners. Even in small moments — when someone is given the ability to decide, to speak over others, to withhold attention or resources. Long before people hold “real” power, they reveal how they handle small versions of it. How they treat those who can’t offer them anything. How they respond when no one is watching.
This idea can be uncomfortable, because it shifts responsibility. If power reveals who we are, then the real work isn’t about fearing success — it’s about preparing for it. It’s about cultivating self-awareness, humility, and values before life hands us influence.
It also asks us to look inward. How do we act when we’re given even a little control? When our voice carries weight in a room? When we’re no longer forced to explain ourselves? Those moments matter more than we think. They are rehearsals for something bigger.
Power will come in many forms throughout a lifetime — status, love, money, visibility, freedom. And each time, it will ask the same quiet question: Who are you when nothing is stopping you from being yourself?
Power isn’t the thing that ruins people.
Avoidance of self-examination is.
If we learn who we are before power arrives, we don’t have to fear what it will reveal.
TheSpiritualExplorer 