When Humans Aquire Power – Archbishop Oscar Romero
When humans acquire power, how they trample others! What tortures, what horrors! …In a weak person, power becomes cruelty; a sense of inferiority is carried to the level of brutishness. — The Violence of Love, pp. 63, 64
He was speaking in 1978, yet his words are sadly relevant today. This is, sadly, also a description of the actions of the administration here in the US.
Thomas Merton’s perspective, the “evil” that arises when humans acquire power is not primarily a matter of external political systems or historical forces, but a deeply rooted inner condition of the self. Merton consistently taught that evil begins within the human heart, in the “fallen human” who is alienated from God and from authentic life.
So we should ask why do people around the world elect leaders who are alienated from God and from the authentic life?
Thomas Merton’s perspective, the “evil” that arises when humans acquire power is not primarily a matter of external political systems or historical forces, but a deeply rooted inner condition of the self. Merton consistently taught that evil begins within the human heart, in the “fallen human” who is alienated from God and from authentic life.
So we should ask why do people around the world elect leaders who are alienated from God and from the authentic life?