Ever since the dawn of time, human beings have sought to dominate. From the time of Cain and Abel on down throughout the history of humanity the need of the human ego has been dominance. Humans have strived to dominate animals, nations, each other and even earth itself.

If at some time in the future, humankind develops the capacity to venture into the universe there is little doubt that once again, there would be those among our species who would try to conquer and dominate whatever or whomever we may encounter.

In the brief history of humanity we’ve seen far too many examples of the corruption of power by greed and selfish domination. Sadly and even more so, it is a frightening reality that exists within the powers that govern life on this planet. Those in whom we place our trust to protect our citizens often seek to dominate through manipulation, threats and violence. Governments continue to wage war in the name of God, supposedly in the best interest of the country they govern, yet they continue to risk lives needlessly through a misguided lust of power and control.

Politicians and leaders spout a fountain of pretty, sugarcoated words fed to their lips by the hand of a well-paid ghostwriter. Empty promises have been and still remain nothing more than empty promises. On one hand violence is condemned; but turn that same hand over and it is condoned. It all seems to depend on who’s doing the violence as to whether or not it is justifiable. News coverage and other media have provided glimpses of drunken resistance ending in being beaten to death, of children who don’t get a chance to grow up because they end up dead by the hand of both criminal and protector, of how trust is on the endangered species list and so much more.

Even the smallest amount of authority can be dangerous in the spiritually immature. On that note, let’s make mention that attending church every Sunday does not necessarily make one spiritually mature. We often base qualifications on intellect and physical condition, depending on the nature of the position, neither of which gives any assurance that power and authority will not be abused.

Evolution is an ongoing albeit slow process. We have to wonder if our species will ever reach a level of evolvement where we will be able to balance power with temperance and compassion rather than egotistical satisfaction. Will there ever come a time when humanity doesn’t have to lord power over each other in order to feel powerful or will humankind indeed destroy itself as some have come to believe? If we are meant to persist until we reach a proper level of enlightenment how much more suffering at the hands of the ignorant will humanity have to endure? We cannot answer these questions because we cannot predict the future.

Perhaps the future is unwritten and we are being presented with the blank pages upon which to write a better future. Will our leaders and protectors cover those pages with more arrogant decisions and aggressive actions as they have done in our past or will they restore the balance of power with the ink of understanding? We can only hope that the universal law of love will find its place in our future thereby displacing the power hungry laws of humankind. It seems only safe to say that a change in course is needed to keep humanity from its destined path of destruction. If we ever encounter a more dominant force than ourselves, taking them to our leaders may just have its own rewards as they might find that the struggle for power may not always taste so sweet.

Written by Darlene Zagata