The Root of All Evil

The Root of All Evil

"The love of money is the root of all evil", is an old Biblical quote (forgive me if I have got it slightly wrong) - and to most people, it is indeed the "root" of evil (when in OTHER people's hands!).

Now, while the love of money may cause people to do stupid or immoral things, I'm afraid I'm not convinced it's the root of evil at all.

In fact, I'll go further and state this as an alternative:


"The love of POWER is the root of all evil".

All the trouble in the world comes down to one thing - the desire for power over others.

This is a tendency to be found in each one of us - except we rarely have the opportunity to exercise it directly. But to those who do, power corrupts. And as Lord Acton said - absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Whether one is talking about the abuse of power by one person over another - or the abuse of power by one person with his hands on the control levers of a whole country - it is a fact that having such power is a corrupting influence. It literally brings out the worst in people.

I have no doubt that Hitler, the "artist", was far less dangerous than Hitler the "Fuhrer". And the difference was the power at his disposal to rule over others.

But the issue as to whether the love of money or power is the root of all evil is interesting from another angle as well. For it brings up a fundamental difference in the idea of what power really is.

Having a lot of money gives you economic clout. Having a lot of power gives you political clout. And there is a world of difference between the two.

In today's world, people are often inclined to rail against those who have lots of money - as if such people had power over them.

But this is a fundamental misunderstanding. Having money does indeed give you economic power. But economic power is radically different from political power.

Economic power is MONEY in your hand. Political power is a GUN in your hand.

With money in your hand, you can do things, make choices, and even influence others. But the essential point here is that having money is about trade. You must get what you want by persuading others to give it to you, in exchange for money.

However, with a gun in your hand, you can take a shortcut. You can simply order others to DO what you want, or GIVE you what you want - at the point of a gun!

Money or the gun? These two modus operandi are at the root of all social interaction. You can either choose to trade with others for what you want, using money - or you can force them to give you what you want - using a gun.

One form of social interaction is voluntary, dealing with each other on the basis of a mutually agreeable outcome, the other is involuntary - by the use of brute force.

At some point, each individual makes a choice in life - to either work to achieve one's goals, by one's own efforts, or to achieve one's goals by forcing others to make the effort.

The world's woes are not primarily caused by money - or religion, or ethnicity or nationalism, but by the love of power - the love of the gun.

And we're all complicit in this.

You've heard the term, "we get the government we deserve". And here's the rub, it's true - especially if you're talking about a democracy.

People, who would otherwise never think of stealing from their neighbours, are quite happy to vote for a politician who promises to do just that (via taxes, to collect revenue, to give to others).

The modern democratic state allows for the "arms length" abuse of power by everyone on everyone. It's an orgy of power abuse. Everyone's in on the game - by the sheer act of voting.

If you've voted for more money to be spent on health (or on any other money redistribution scheme) - then you've voted for more money to be forcefully expropriated from some, to pay for the health care of others. And in so doing, you have entered into the world of power abuse, of using your limited power (the vote), to add weight and moral support to a much larger power (the state).

As long as individuals believe they have the right to the life and life's effort of OTHER people, then we will always produce a government bent on the abuse of power to the same ends.

There is only one way to de-fang this monster - and that is to make sure, to the best of your ability, that YOU are not subject to power abuse by others, and that YOU are not a supporter of such abuse.

And how do you do that?

First, you stop voting. Period! Voting is an act of complicity with a corrupt system. You will never be able to change it - so if you've got idealistic notions of political change - forget it!

Second, you start taking direct action to protect yourself from the abuse of power by others - whether individuals, or the state.

As Christians often say - change must start with the individual. And they are 100% right.

Don't look for a leader. Don't look for a better political party. Just look to yourself - and make a conscious effort to live free, and leave others alone.

Winston Smith, the main character in George Orwell's novel "1984", had one persistent belief - that any hope for overthrowing tyranny lay with the "proles" - the ordinary people.

Sure, the ordinary people were dumb, uneducated and unsophisticated, but they had a strength (and power) which they were completely unaware of. They had the power to simply "opt out", to say "no".

It's the same today. The world appears to be heading to more and more chaos. Politicians appear unassailable. The momentum towards tyranny seems unstoppable.

But it could be stopped in its tracks tomorrow - by one simple act - if everyone simply said "no".

You can't force others to say "no". And you would be fighting a losing battle to attempt to persuade others to say "no". But YOU can say "no" That is the power you have - the power to make such a choice for yourself.

In fact, it's the only moral use of power - the power rightfully at your disposal - the power to make decisions about your own life - and act accordingly.

That's what being a sovereign individual is all about. Just say "no". Use your power where it counts.

Yours in freedom

Pro Deo et Constitutione –
Libertas aut Mors Semper Vigilans Fortis
Paratus et Fidelis
Joseph F Barber/David MacGregor

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