Wealth & Power; Assets or Addictions? by Dan Mahony

[Sapiens]

http://danmahony.com/wpcontents.htm

Years ago I was an addictions psychologist working with homeless persons on New York's Bowery, and later in Boston.

As time went on, I began to compile a list of the addictions and compulsions of the surrounding so-called "successful" society. It was then began to realize that wealth & power had most of the symptoms of alcoholism and other addictions on my list. The symptoms included increasing desire for more and more of the substance, denial, harm to family members, compulsive loyalty and secrecy, impaired thinking, decline in the quality of life, and powerlessness in the face of the addiction.

Then I found more than a hundred quotations regarding wealth & power from many great thinkers and political leaders since ancient times. The quotations are, it seems to me, reasonable evidence that wealth & power have long been recognized as having the symptoms of addiction, though the particular word 'addiction' was not used.

Then I saw that I could interpret a well-known psychological experiment as further evidence of the addictive nature of power. In 1971, psychologist Philip Zimbardo placed college students in a simulated prison to play the roles of prisoner & guard. This was an experiment to see how the students might behave in these roles, and was intended to continue for two weeks. But all too soon the 'guards' became verbally abusive to the 'prisoners'. Dr. Zimbardo ended the experiment on its sixth day in the interest of the mental and physical safety of the 'prisoners'.

In this book I propose a theory, based upon what I believe to be considerable evidence, that wealth and power are addictive.

...

[Atlas]

Re: Wealth & Power; Assets or Addictions? by Dan Mahony

It seems that almost every successful man succumbs to this addiction as well. With my limited knowledge of history, I can only think of one man who willingly walked away from offers of the full power and wealth of a country, George Washington. Are there any others?

[Rajiv]

Re: Wealth & Power; Assets or Addictions? by Dan Mahony

From the book -

Mahony Principle. In most corporations, those addicted to power, wealth, and work rise to the top. The more compulsively one seeks wealth and power, or is powerless to stop working, the more one 'climbs the ladder' and participates in the 'higher-up' decision-making process of the corporation. Through this invisible process, some corporations over time and by slow operations acquire an addictive-compulsive personality. They, like any addict, act with complete unawareness of the collateral damage of their actions.

Inflation is the ‘more-and-more’ aspect of addiction—more and more alcohol, cocaine, etc. And more and more wealth & power. The Addicted System Corporation (ASCO) compulsively seeks more and more money no matter how much it already has. The principle side-effect of this process is that corporations constantly increase the prices of the goods or services they sell, both to each other and to the consumer. The result of this side-effect is that prices rise faster than wages, so the same amount of money buys less and less. The American dollar now has the spending power of only 7 cents compared to 1913. When our parents grew up it bought 14 times more goods than now. A baby's dollar buys one fifth as much today as it did when its parents were babies. Even in the Great Depression spending power was ten times greater than now. And all along ASCOs are unable to part with money.



"Since 1990 it is clear the economy was 'driven' almost entirely by the biggest injection of new debt in history, which produced a much diminished lower return in national income per dollar. Just as one hooked on drugs needs ever increasing amounts of drugs to 'survive', it appears America needs ever increasing amounts of new debt to eke out diminishing amounts of growth - - even with 2 wage earners per family."—Grandfather Economic Reports

• 

GOTO Dramatic Data Reveal 30-Year Family Economic Decline

Compulsive Loyalty. Like the battered wife who constantly returns to her abusive husband, employees remain compulsively loyal to those at the top, even though many are not paid enough to have a good quality life.

Secrecy. Like the alcoholic father who hides his addiction and his substances, the Chairman of the Hoard is known by very few employees. His stash is well hidden and one dares not ask how much money he has. The Chairman, like the alcoholic father, divides and conquers: his codependent family, i.e., his employees, don’t know how much money each other earns. "sec're-tary, n.; one entrusted with secrets, from L. secretum, a secret. 2. a general official in overall charge of such work. 3. an official in charge of a department of government (Webster's Dictionary)."

Denial. Chairman would never think of himself as an addict. More likely a pillar of society. Codependents admire Chairman and are in denial about his addiction, and their codependence.

Impaired Cognition. Profit = Loss. News item says, "ASCO Inc. said Tuesday its second-quarter loss widened...posted a second-quarter loss…" But in the next paragraph we learn, "Revenues for the quarter fell 20 percent to $101.9 million from $128 million a year earlier source." ASCO had made a profit of more than $100 million in just three months, and yet they were crying poor! Their complaint was that they made less money than the same quarter the previous year.

Short-Term Thinking. Just as the drug addict is mostly concerned with the short-term procurement of his drug and not on the long-term effects on his family, ASCO is unable to consider the effects of its actions on the next generation of children. In 2001, the leading fossil-fuel ASCO made $5 billion in just three months as the US govt. was counting up its largest surplus in history. But all the while that ASCO was actively undermining a climate treaty that dealt with our children's environment.

Powerlessness in the Face of the Addiction. As the first step in Alcoholics Anonymous is to admit: "We are powerless…"

Mahony Curve. The net effect of excessive wealth is a decline in the quality of life.

"He who knows when he has enough is rich (Lao-Tzu, ca. 565 B. C.)"

[Spartacus]

Re: Wealth & Power; Assets or Addictions? by Dan Mahony

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Garibaldi

I didn't find it on that page but he could have taken total control of Italy.

It seems that almost every successful man succumbs to this addiction as well. With my limited knowledge of history, I can only think of one man who willingly walked away from offers of the full power and wealth of a country, George Washington. Are there any others?

And of course Gandhiji. He did not take much advantage of whatever political power (not an insignificant amount) he got in South Africa, and we'll never know what he would have done in India if he had lived, but if past is prologue, the way he used the power he had speaks well ...

[cjppjc]

Re: Wealth & Power; Assets or Addictions? by Dan Mahony

Psycobabble. Soon a drug company will market a new drug to those unfortunates who have this disease.

[Spartacus]

wealth, power and victims' refusal to do a smell test

abdicating your own responsibility makes it easier for others abuse you using their wealth and power - but refusing to be critical gives abusers even more power

http://www.strippingthegurus.com/


Wealth and power may still be able to abuse you even if you are skeptical, but at least then you can honestly say you did not aid & abet in your own abuse.

[Spartacus]

Re: Wealth & Power; Assets or Addictions? by Dan Mahony

Psycobabble. Soon a drug company will market a new drug to those unfortunates who have this disease.

doubtful

All the money is to be made selling people the illusion (never the goods) that they can get into that group and become abusers.

Napoleon Hill
Tony Robbins
Brian Tracy
Russ Whitney
Robert Kiyosaki,
"The Secret"
Cosmopolitan (the right makeup and you can marry that rich guy !!!)

...

[cjppjc]

Re: Wealth & Power; Assets or Addictions? by Dan Mahony

doubtful

All the money is to be made selling people the illusion (never the goods) that they can get into that group and become abusers.

Napoleon Hill
Tony Robbins
Brian Tracy
Russ Whitney
Robert Kiyosaki,
"The Secret"
Cosmopolitan (the right makeup and you can marry that rich guy !!!)

...

No not doubtful. The drug companies have come up with drugs to treat things such as adult add. Depression drugs marketed to people who aren't anywhere near clinical depresssion, just not that happy. Restless leg syndrome for gods sake. I can't think of any more but there out there.

[vanvaley1]

Re: Wealth & Power; Assets or Addictions? by Dan Mahony

It seems that almost every successful man succumbs to this addiction as well. With my limited knowledge of history, I can only think of one man who willingly walked away from offers of the full power and wealth of a country, George Washington. Are there any others?

Lucius Quinctius Ciincinatus? Siddhartha Gautama...though technically he was only a prince and not a king?