Power when not equitable, as when used to benefit one more than the other, is said to be unjust
If it is an agent of fear and not trust, it is said to be cowardly and false, for walls are made not born and the fist can neither give nor take, only destroy
If it is in service to itself, and not in the interest of those who gave it strength, it is said to be tyrannical and pernicious, suffocating under its own weight it ushers in its exit
If Power does not doubt, it is said to be arrogant, and more easily makes mistakes
If it is not contrite, it is unable to learn, for there are no ends only means
If it does not listen, it cannot speak, as it does cannot represent what it ignores
If it seeks recognition and fame, and not what gives it meaning, it is but a shadow without the light, a body without a soul
If it does not give liberty of speech, then it does not speak with truth, for liberty is only true when mutual
When Power has no humility, it loses its morality — it knows not love, conflating love with flattery
If it forgives, it is said to earn respect
If it strengthens others instead of itself, it is said to be noble, and empowers itself by empowering others
If Power seeks no enemy, and only friends, it does not become one
And if it acts as it speaks, and does not give liberty to itself that it does not give to others, it is said to have integrity, and begets the bows of trust
If Power is to lead, it is to follow, as a leader listens with their actions
If it speaks of rights it may speak of wrongs, as no medicine is good without measure.
If it kneels before you, the crown is never too heavy — for if Power is never humble, it will never be great
Power is not another name for Truth, for it knows that the strength of unity is dissent, as harmony cannot be made without disagreement of notes
If it admits its weakness, then it may become stronger, for the braid bears the weight a strand alone cannot and thus weaknesses beget strength.
Power knows the difference between punishment and consequence, for castigation is not a teacher
Power chooses reason over force, as Power is a tool, and not a weapon, for violence deafens the ear it wishes to speak into —
It gives understanding and patience to hate, lest the hilt of peace become the blade, for reactions are not actions
It makes law to raise probity, not to raze autonomy, for law is the voice of the people
True Power is consent and not assent — as a leader is not a ruler, and is not the measure of all things
If it is said to love, not hate, it carries forth peace
To deny the right to love is to deny one’s right to consent;
by virtue of denying consent, you deny one’s right to freedom —
And by denying freedom, you renounce democracy.
True Power does not see with its eyes but with its heart — for Power when equitable is love
For love is like the light, an agent of truth, and the enduring soul of the People.