The revealing power of power

Authority, power, and wealth do not change a man, they only reveal him.

                             Imman Ali

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I remember my mother say

That if I really wanted to know what a person was like

I should travel with them

To places far, places rough

Places strange

Adversity she noted

Reveals who we are

Nothing like diarrhea to put one to the test

But the opposite is also true

Success and privilege are equally revealing

Truth!

Those who grow up with power and privilege

Those, too often, who attain it

Are proven to be

All things small

Ruthless, judgmental,

People without compassion

Or generosity

We see it so clearly these days

As rich white men with power

Behave poorly

It is not that their ascendancy has ruined them

There was something twisted and sick

Something dark

Woven into their character

for we see those equally rich

equally powerful

who do not diminish, abuse

or judge

What makes the difference

Why can some deal with adversity

And why can others deal with privilege and affluence

While many can’t?

I think it all comes down to where the heart is

To whom, or what

Is the heart given?

To power?

To wealth?

To themselves (yes, it is possible)?

Or to the Sacred?

Which because it is Love

Changes everything

Priorities

Perspective

Behavior

Everything

If our heart is not set on God

Then both adversity

And success

Can destroy us

And we can destroy

Those around us