'One way or another, power over others always turns out to be a costly burden. A sense of one's own strength, and the freedom to do with it what you will, brings with it a feeling of expansiveness, of exultation. If the realm in which this power is to be realised is turned to wards the creative possibilities of the self, then excitement and joy become possible. But, if this freedom is introduced as power over others, both parties will be trapped. It does not matter whether the power is used benevolently or for exploitation, the result is the same. If I see other adults as weaker than I am in our personal relationships, it does not matter whether they volunteer to be wards whom I must protect or victims whom I am to exploit. If I conspire with them to the illusion of either sort of power, whether benign or malevolent, we are both trapped in a symbiotic bargain. My sense of power over others will limit my freedom to live out my wishes for myself. Either I will feel obligated to care for my wards, or I will have to waste myself putting down mutinous serfs, and guarding against victims who would retaliate.
-a brief excerpt from 'If You Meet The Buddha On The Road, Kill Him' (1972) - Sheldon Kopp (1929-99) author of seventeen books on self esteem and psycho therapy.
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