Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCCXCVIII

I think I may need some help understanding something. It's a nugget of wisdom that my parents failed to teach me, probably because they didn't understand it either. It has to do with the hunger for power, which I totally lack. Oh, I'm smart enough to know it exists; in fact I can name some people who possess it. Here are some of my questions: Where does it come from? Is it a quality that is inherited? If someone has it, can they lose it? I've read books and watched news stories enough to realize that once this condition grips an individual, it creates an insatiable thirst that cannot be quenched, and it may lead its victim to go to unprecedented lengths in a vain effort to satisfy his lust. It must be similar, and maybe even related to the hunger for wealth or fame, but what is it about power that becomes so attractive to some people? It's definitely not a new thing. Most of you know the story of King Herod,  who, when he heard of the birth of Jesus, ordered the slaughter of every male child under the age of two in an effort to eliminate what he perceived to be a threat to his position of power.  Every generation before and since that time has produced like-minded individuals...people who will stop at nothing to try to satisfy their cravings.   Here's where I stand:  I have too much to do living my own life to have time to try to control yours. If you want to buy a 32 ounce soft drink, go right ahead....that's your choice. I may not think it's wise,  but what you choose to do with your own life is your business. Yet, as we have seen in New York City, there are those who wish to hold that kind of power over you and me, and the scary thing is the number of people who are willing to turn the control of their lives over to the ones who crave that power. Naturally, power-hungry people gravitate toward positions in government, because that's the easiest place to achieve and maintain their desires.  Therefore, it becomes the responsibility of freedom-loving people to always be cognizant of those who desire to take away our liberties in their perpetual pursuits to satisfy their own selfish lusts.  I may never understand just what it is that so consumes a person that makes him or her desire to make other people's decisions for them, but I do know enough to realize that there are those who want to control what we eat, what we wear, what kind of cars we drive, what doctors we can see, how much money we make, how we worship, or even how many children we can have.  There's a scripture, talking about Satan, that tells us that we must not be ignorant of his devices. We would be wise to adopt that same philosophy in regards to the leaders of our communities, states, and our nation. The less informed we are, the easier it becomes for them to manipulate our lives and get a grip on our day to day activities. It's imperative that we stay on top of what is happening in our world.  Our very freedom depends on it. Preston