History has taught us that from the advent of time, man has proven
himself to be his own worst enemy. Throughout history, various controversies and
disputes have progressed into major wars with devastating effects. Some people
believe that these are the subsequent results of increasing power in man. To
many it may seem that the acquisition of varying degrees of power and influence
cause marked changes in otherwise placid personalities. The more power one has,
the more he wants and, what is worst, is that he is never satisfied. This
mentality, however, is not accelerated by power, but rather by an inner drive
which comes as a result of one’s limitations. Written in History are famous
examples where human limitations have led to major disputes. Such historical
events are easily remembered with the mention of names such as Napoleon
Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler. The progression of war was not caused by the direct
result of their power, but served only as a channel by which their aspirations
were achieved. Therefore, disputes and world conquests are not manifestations of
human power, but the inevitable results of human limitations. Along with power
comes a keener sense of security and self-confidence which, when threatened by
others or discontented factors, becomes the basis for disputes and world
conquests. This takes shape when an individual has reached his limitations as a
human being. An individual's limitations can be regarded as his imperfections,
which is the bridge that separates man from the supreme being - God. These
limitations encompass the lack of ability to deal with moral, emotional, mental
and physical predicaments. These can be further categorized as insecurity,
poverty, fear, lust, greed, and lack of knowledge among other things. These are
the limitations that are present in a human being, and that actuates him or her
to abuse and misuse power. With the absence of these limitations there would be
no compulsive ordinance for any disputes and conquests, because an individuals
emotions and confidence would then be directed towards compromise. If an
individual is confined to accept reality as it is, then he will be led into
having an egocentric mentality, which will be transformed into disputes. There
are numerous examples to illustrate this assertion. Napoleon Bonaparte, being
the French military commander and emperor, was absorbed by a burning ambition
for conquest. This inner drive for conquest and popularity was engulfed in a
huddle of pride, greed, lust, and self-gratification, which served as the
unstoppable driving force of Napoleon’s conquest of the British states. This
instance clearly depicts that power was simply a succor to Napoleon’s success
and not the foundation of his conquests. Nevertheless, it was his limitations
– pride and an egocentric outlook of life – that were the utmost figure for
his achievements. If it were not for his limitations as a human being, then he
would have had no motivation to use his powers in that manner. The unjust
operation of communism by Marx and Lenin, caused a major dispute among the
people and later led to their conquest. Communism was not achieved by mere
power. Its leaders were not simply born into that sophisticated position, but
rather reached that point by an egocentric drive to improve their lifestyles.
There was then a prerequisite before power was actually put into their hands;
this was their limitation as human beings to assent the conditions they were
participating in. These communists considered force, blackmail, murder and
deception as valid means to achieve their goal, which was to build a rigid class
system of their own. The party members would enjoy a more luxurious standard of
living than the people that were suppressed. In this case, human power cannot be
accredited for this disaster, but rather the limitations of these leaders to
accept the people for who they were and what they were worth. The communists
were limited to recognize that every individual was different, and that each
individual had the right to voice his or her opinion. These men, manipulated by
their human limitations, failed to see the love for others , thus, they directed
their selfish decisions into the mirror. Another example is cited in the
attempts of ‘race purification’ by Germany’s Adolf Hitler. Hitler had
unquestionable influence and authority over his people, but it was not a
manifestation of his power that caused the historical struggle that followed.
Hitler was a man who seemed to lack ethics and morality, but who had an
overwhelming lust for power and a vicious desire for revenge. He believed he was
infallible and always blamed others for his mistakes. After Hitler became
chancellor, he quickly banned all political parties except Nazis, and began a
violent and brutal crusade against Jews. Hitler proclaimed the Germans as the
‘master race’, and this false doctrine of racial superiority fired intense
mass annihilation among the Jewish people. From a very early age, Hitler was
suctioned by numerous human limitations such as lust, revenge, frenzy, hatred,
pride, lack of ethics, and lack of morality. In return, it was these limitations
that spurted Hitler into the crudest mass destruction and slaughter by any one
man in history. Analytical observations show that power is not the prominent
factor that gives rise to disputes and world conquest, but rather it is one’s
imperfections or limitations that creates the atmosphere for such catastrophes.
This confinement, which is the ability to cope with the given predicaments, is
the real substance that stimulates such problems. Many nations are blessed with
increasing power, nevertheless, neither disputes nor world conquests arises
because power is an element that can be controlled and is beneficial for self
and others, without anyone being mistreated or disregarded. When strong
limitations to an individual is present, we then have a formula for abuse of
power which gives rise to world conquests and disputes. It would seem then, that
man’s egocentric ambitions an his inability to completely analyze a situation
beyond self, is the major cause for disputes and world conquests. There must be
a driving force, which is our human limitations, to act as a catalyst for the
use of power in such a manner as to cause disputes and world conquests.
Therefore, it is only fair to conclude that all or most of our problems can be
dated back to our human limitations.