Ramon Arias | June 3, 2013
If you have been reading my editorials you know I am a strong believer that every problem comes with a solution. So in the face of all the corruption and destruction we are facing, do not despair, there really is hope, not the Obama kind of hope, I mean the real hope the Founding Fathers had when everything seemed to be against them and the inhabitants of the colonies.
Warning: true hope is not for the fainthearted, it is for those who understand the demands of their times and are willing to defy the powers that be; there is no room for cowards.
Yes, I did say that very problem has a solution. That is exactly what I believe and I am not alone in this. I am not a pessimist, nor utopian, I relay upon history to understand the facts and reject all speculation based upon falsehood. Those who affirm that the past does not count are only empowering those who revert to backward ideologies, philosophies or false religions in order to recycle them in the present creating hell on earth and guarantying a dark future. Winston Churchill said: “We cannot say the past is past without surrendering the future.” Has anybody ever told you that you should learn from your past mistakes? I know you have heard that statement and you know it is true, then, why do people continue to ignore the past lessons of history? Could it be because by negating that past they think they can forge a better life even if it is on a faulty foundation?
Plato, the Greek philosopher, (428 – 347 BC) stated in his writings of The Republic quoted his friend and mentor Socrates, “Badness always manifests in destruction and corruption, while goodness always manifests in preservation and benefit” (ca. 374 B.C.). The malady of corruption has been with the human race for thousands of years. Even though the Greek philosophers had no access to the written Law of God as the Israelites did, their subconscious was subject to the part that every person has by virtue of being created in the image and likeness of God; it is with us from conception. Since the beginning of time men have known that a bad action always brings corruption followed by destruction. They have also known that good actions preserve human sanity and produce benefits for all; so simple to understand, right? Then why is it easier for evil to dominate the heart and mind of individuals?
It is easy to detect corruption in politics and business than in any other area of human development, the reason being is that we all witness how positions of power are abused to line the pockets of the powerful; they take advantage to advance their personal agendas and that of their friends and family. Along with this worldview of greed and envy we must not overlook the culture of bribery and preferential treatment they grant to some. Let us not continue to fool ourselves and call it for what it is, corruption. It is common to hear the saying when it comes to politics “that’s politicians for you” as if that explains it away, excuses it or makes it right. It is this bad behavior that causes people to fail at their responsibilities to perform morally right and to be successful in every area of life, which includes their civic duty. Since corruption tends to blind people’s minds, priorities get out of step. The present is neglected not knowing they are contributing to create a greater pitfall in the future by ignoring the national demands for goodness in order to solve the needs of their community and country.
It is amazing and sad to see how power changes most people’s behavior, no matter how small or how great that power may be. Lord Acton (1834–1902), seeing how corruption can be found in every part of the political spectrum caused him to make this affirmation by stating, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Since then many have quoted him; was Acton one hundred percent correct in his assessment? Not really. I understand this is the case when a person’s morality rebels against God’s moral law his moral principles are dominated by ulterior motives. It is also true that if a person understands that he or she will be held accountable, not only in this life but also in the one to come before Almighty God who is the Sovereign ruler, the Supreme Lawgiver and Judge of the world, the universe and heaven, then there is no power on earth or hell that can cause that person to be corrupted.
God has absolute power, He cannot be corrupted; Jesus in His public life manifested self-control that not even Satan’s best offer of power and prestige persuaded Him to consider even for a second to accept such temporal earthly fame to corrupt himself. Jesus had power over the enemy and his host of fallen angels and humans who followed Satan’s lies (Matthew 4; Luke 4). Jesus, in his earthly body, left us a testimony that absolute power given by God cannot corrupt a heart whose delight is to do God’s will. Christ conquered death by His resurrection; before His ascension he declared: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). He delegated that very same power to His disciples, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, …and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” Matthew 28:19-20). Since then the true followers of Christ cannot be bought or corrupted by any power or fame. History is filled with testimonies of men and women of all ages who left a testimony to their generation as well as future generations that absolute power does not corrupt.
George Washington was offered to be king of the newly formed nation, his answer? No! He served two terms as President of the United States of America and said that was enough. Washington was not corrupted by the power bestowed upon him. Like him, many of the Founding Fathers embraced the same values as Washington and recognized that only a sick mind can believe the lie that man can indefinitely hold power without corrupting and destroying lives.
To be continued…
To read Part 2 click here