When you look at what’s happening among the great powers, it’s easy to say: politics, interests, geopolitics. But there’s another word we rarely use: arrogance—not the everyday, petty kind, but the systemic kind. The kind that stems from the feeling that you can do anything and won’t have to pay the full price. Because you won’t. Someone else will.
Every time power goes unchecked, the boundaries shift. Every time someone isn’t held accountable for their decisions, the next decision will be even more severe.
That’s how conflicts arise that can no longer be easily stopped. The biggest misconception is that these are “their wars.” They’re not. These are lessons for all of us—in business, in leadership, in everyday relationships. How many times have you seen someone, as soon as they gain a little power, start making decisions they wouldn’t have made before?
How many times have you seen power replace reason? And how many times have you yourself been in a situation where you could have stopped, but still went a step further than you should have?
Power gives a person or a system greater scope for action—and greater responsibility for the consequences. That’s why the real question isn’t: Who has power?! But rather, what do they do with it? Because in the end, the problem isn’t that someone can.
The problem is when they forget why they shouldn’t.
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