Not only Ben Parker, the fictional character from Spiderman from
the pen of Stan Lee, quoted that great responsibility came with great power,
but quotes of similar origins can be found all the way back in history – from
the twentieth century up to the Ancient Greeks. It was Lord Acton, who wrote
that “power
tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” and the
philosopher Socrates “rule
of worthy of might,” that expressed similar ideas.
In general I would say that the more
successful you are in life, the greater becomes your power and influence, but
also the more complex and multilayered your responsibility will become. Another
saying says, that “with
success comes responsibility” and no matter if people try to avoid,
refuse to believe or simply ignore this liability – it still exists and will
not burden from our shoulders.
You might have noticed that I’m speaking of a “complex and
multilayered responsibility,” simply because I believe that this
kind of responsibility changes from case to case. There is no definition that
fits for everyone, as we are all unique and so are the ways to cope with this
kind of responsibility. A gun owner – for instance – has great power over
people that aren’t wearing a gun, so it is his responsibility not to abuse this
kind of power. The driver of a fancy sports car must know that when doing a street
race with another car, that he does not only put himself at risk, but also
every other road user and pedestrian.
As I’ve already said, it is not that easy to specify this kind of
responsibility, as the multilayered liability includes for some to know what
kind of (negative) consequences their actions could have – and to be
accountable for these, whereas others also consider their (social)
responsibility towards others and their society as a part of it as well. As you
can see, there is no accurate definition that suits this complex and
multilayered responsibility that comes with great success and power, but I’d
like to point out some tips on how everyone can individually meet this
responsibility, one way or the other, if you are already successful in life and
possess this kind of “great power,” no matter if it is a weapon, a sports car,
wealth or an executive position in a company.
Avarice and greed
The fatal effects of greediness are
not only commonly known to us since some hundred managers, equipped with pure
selfishness, a huge portion of cool-bloodedness and the never ending desire for
ever more and more money, caused the global financial crisis. Greed and the
avarice for money are the ulterior motives behind so many (terrible) actions
that people did to each other and what makes it even worse is that greediness
seems to blank out even the slightest concern of the possible consequences of
this behavior and if others might suffer from it. I guess, that every one of us
experienced one or the other form of greed at times in one’s life, may it be
during one’s childhood, youth or in adult life.
What is important is to recognize that there is already enough for
everyone on this planet. Money has only become a precious commodity, because a
view individuals started to literally hoard and stockpile money on a large
score on their bank accounts – and I’m not speaking of “just” a view million $.
So, be aware of your immense responsibility that revolves around the often so
typical greediness or stubbornness of us humans. You will always have the
choice to earn a little bit more money on the expenses of others. Important is
that you are aware of these consequences that others might suffer from a greedy
misbehavior and that you ask yourself how it would be, if you would have to
suffer from it, too!
Exploitation & taking advantage of others
Have you
ever seen the movie “Coming to America,” where Eddie Murphy plays Akeem – the
heir to the throne of a fictitious African country? Even though it was a just
fictitious comedy movie, many aspects of it were quite true – such as the fact
that many leaders or kings of African countries have obtained massive riches –
more or less by exploitation of the natural resources and their country in
general. Just think about the former dictator in Tunisia – Ben Ali – and his
clan and how ruthlessly they pillaged their fellow countryman. And that is only one example for a phenomenon that can be seen around the world – a
small group of people that lived in their palaces full of riches they
accumulated by taking advantage of others, while the rest of the country was
predominantly living in poverty.
What I’m trying to say is, what’s the point in being a
billionaire, accumulating tangibles and possessing 1.5 tons of pure gold (Ben
Ali clan), when you know that everyone around you is living in poverty, because
of your malicious behavior? Wouldn’t all these billions have provided everyone
in that country enough food and a safe place to live for decades.
Be aware of the huge responsibility that lies on your shoulder
once you have accumulated riches. It’s quite easy to lose the grasp of reality,
once you are getting used to live in an isolated village with neighbors that
are living in the same luxury as you do.
Giving something back
I know
entrepreneurs that have founded successful and respectable companies, but
instead of giving something back (to their employees, society, etc.) they
focused their whole concentration on stabilizing their leader position in the
company and its profit.
But I also do know of entrepreneurs and organizations that are
“giving something back” as good as they can and as far as the limits permitted
it to do. Some integrated people that have handicaps or were unemployed for a
long time and couldn’t find another employee, even if that meant that the owner
of the company would have to waive on some of his profit. I’m sure that the
owners were warned by their assistance as “giving back” would have deteriorated
the balances and so on (…) , but for these owners, it didn’t really matter if
the integration of a handicapped person was rentable or not, as it was by far
more valuable for them to help someone to make his life at least a little bit
easier.
Doing something good
The most
commonly known companies have public relations departments and one job of the
employees of these departments is to “do something good and talk about it.” I
find this great, as these are companies that are giving at least something back
by helping others or charities, even though the reasons and ulterior motives
are more likely related to the improvement and development of a positive
company image. Nonetheless, these organizations and enterprises are still
helping people and give something of their fortune and wealth back, so I won’t
criticizes them for that.
When you try to do something good, do it without any ulterior
motives and without the expectation to get something back. That’s the real way
to of “doing good things.”
They don’t remember your wealth, but your actions
It is not
the immense wealth, assets or tangibles that people will remember of a person
that has departed. People are reminded for their actions, not the amount of
money they earned and the luxury goods they accumulated during their lives.
People won’t remember your wealth, but the way you invested this money, either
for yourself and your family, or whether you invested it to make this world a
better place to stay.
Yes, you can help!
Everyone
can help somehow and in some way, at every place and during every time. Some
might be too busy, so they donate a small amount of their salary; others donate
their time and manpower and work voluntarily for a charitable organization.
Even though you might just be able to donate $5 or only one hour for voluntary
work, it is better than nothing and your effort will be highly appreciated –
I’m sure of that!
You might say, “I don’t have any money I can donate,” or “I don’t
have much time to spend,” but the ways you can give something back are so
multifold and different for every individual. Some have chosen to share their
knowledge, either by becoming a mentor for someone or in many other ways that
reach out to hundreds of individuals, for instance by writing a book. Don´t
lock your precious experiences only into your own brain! You can always help
and motivate others with your experiences you have gathered. Allow others to
achieve success as well as you did.
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