Power mongering is like joining the Mafia. It moves people from the constructive mode to a criminal mode of existence.

One element of it is an attempt to control people. There is no constructive way to control people. This in itself would only corrupt part of a person's activity. But then, power mongering is also an attempt to acquire superiority over others, and this motive corrupts everything else such person's do.

A large part of the problem is the position that is taken—putting oneself above others. Nothing constructive can occur from that position. This is why moralists sometimes say that pride is the origin of all sin. pride is the attitude of putting oneself above others.

Here are some of the consequences: Competitors must be suppressed, because they threaten the position of superiority. This means all constructivity by other persons is more or less threatening. Power mongers cannot act upon all of it, but where heightened concerns exist, they do act to destroy the constructive activity of other persons.

Another consequence is that false worth must be synthesized for the mongerers of power. Values and standards have to enhance the appearance of worth for themselves while diminishing the appearance of worth for competitors or enemies. They use empty show to create a false image of worth. Scandal is how the image of others is diminished.

Equality is a threat, because it undoes the efforts to create superiority. Out of the threat of equality grows the attitude of bigotry. Bigotry is the subconscious assumption that power is virtue and powerlessness is corruption.

Elitism is the attitude of superiority. It includes the assumption that a person's worth is determined by the persons who he associates with. It is acted out by associating only with other elites and shunning everyone else. Barriers are constructed to prevent nonelites from competing with or criticizing elites.

Stepping onto the path of mongering power separates a person from the moral and constructive state of existence. It separates corrupt persons from objective reality. For them, there is no concept of right-from-wrong by objective criteria. Instead, concerns reduce down to whose will prevails.

Even Christian morality is described in such terms by worldly persons. They say morality is God's will, and they scoff at objectivity including the need for knowledge. Instead, they say faith is everything, and it is reliance upon God.

But without objective reality, they are clueless as to who God is or what his requirements are. The Ten Commandments do not tell them without knowledge, as demonstrated by Christ being crucified for supposedly breaking the Ten Commandments through blasphemy. Similarly, worldly persons do satan's work calling it God's work, because they don't know the difference. They don't acquire knowledge, because mongering power puts them in conflict with objective reality.

Incompetence is one of the major motives for mongering power. Acquiring power and status results in demands which are hard to meet. Incompetent persons need to falsify the reality of their worth to meet the expectations which go with their status. But the task is daunting, and a degree of force and fraud is needed to keep incompetent persons in positions of power.

Social power is largely a numbers game. More persons create more influence. Controlling the numbers involves collaboration, conspiracy, coercion, trickery, assault and similar connivances. What it adds up to is groups of persons taking over sources of power, pulling in like minded persons behind them, and shoving out anyone who does not support their corruptions.