Read Out to Find the Meaning of 'With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility'

'With great power comes great responsibility'. Most of us have come across this dialogue in the movie 'Spiderman.' But the first person who is credited with this realization is Voltaire back in 18th Century. The quote suits for a morally upright person who has been in power, but it doen't explicitly apply to all persons in power. The most suitable meaning of the word power would be - to influence any decision ad action. 

When we state power is something that can influence the decision or action when in authority, it can be physical power or mental power.

Physical Power

Power channelizes its influence in two ways - respect and fear. The normal way of channeling influence through physical power is fear and intimidation. We have domesticated small cats but not the big ones like tiger or lion, because smaller cats are physically weaker.

Mental Power

The power which is capable to counter physical power is mental power as human brain is advanced. It is well said that a competent person is someone who has knowledge.. Hence, the impotance of education and awareness should be instilled in an individual from a young age so as to use the power entrusted to them wisely.

A good grasp over linguistic skills and oration attract people as it is able to stir emotions. As with the leaders we know of, like MK. Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, they have been very choosy possessing great oratorical skills and were able to tap into public sentiments and harness it to influence their decisions. 

Absolute Power and Corruption

Now this is another philosophical quote which defines power and its consequences. Absolute power has the tendency to corrupt; hence great power can lead to absolute corruption. It is also said that 'all power corrupts but some must govern.' Thus we must take conscious efforts to keep in check ourselves and not fall prey to the temptations of power. 

The objective of power is to influence, hence once met, it compels people to skip morality and infringes others' rights. The biggest examples of this are dictatorial and autocratic states. 

Power Comes With Responsibility

Power and responsibilty are based on the principle of proportionality. All powers whether great or small, comes with equally sizeable responsibility. Thus, they are complementary in nature without which governance cannot be ensured for the people. 

On the one hand, those leaders who empower society while being in power themselves are the ones who are desired the most by the public. On the other hand autocracy leads to downfall. Only ethical values of leaders protect from sucuumbing to the lust of power. 

Hence we should understand our responsibility and move towards a brighter future. 

Written by - Atul Bihari Chakrawarti

Edited by - Maryam Salim