The King, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself.... He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. (Deuteronomy 17: 16, 17).
The principal difficulty with wealth and power is that it reinforces strong animalistic urges within human behavior. As in other animals, the leader of the pack ritualizes its leadership – mankind is no different. Leaders following this instinct augment their power with displays of power. Ultimately this is based on a generalized fear and an attempt to shield the leader or would be leader from perceived vulnerability. We also see that human behavior within followers serves to reinforce and sustain expected symbolic power augmentation. It is my belief that the basis of the "money race" in American politics fundamentally derives from this aspect of our animal legacy and is an attempt to weave a credible mantle of leadership. Pardon me Hillary, but would any of us expect a leader-in-chief to derive from cashiering behind the cosmetic counter at the local CVS (whatever their actual talents may be)? Of course not, we followers want a "proven" leader with impressive--read "gaudy"--credentials standing tall in the proper power suit--which all require not a little silver and gold. The residual difficulty for mankind (due to its unique and inherent moral imperatives) is that self-aggrandizement is self-destructive and socially hurtful in the end.
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