Will to power

I don't like domineering people. Never have. By domineering I do not mean strong, for strength I admire with a passion. By domineering I mean that which Nietzsche had in mind when he came up with his 'will to power' idea. He argued that there is in all of us an irrational force that wills and it wills for power. More than that, in all living things the same force works and wills for the same end, power. This force is the source of all suffering and pain in the world since it is insatiable and inexhaustible. And since we are essentially slaves to this force, we might as well perfect it, “What is good? Everything that heightens the feeling of power in man, the will to power, power itself. What is bad? Everything that is born of weakness. What is happiness? The feeling that power is growing, that resistance is overcome. Not contentedness but more power; not peace but war; not virtue but fitness (Renaissance virtue, virtù, virtue that is moraline-free).”

Now it might come across as if I disagree with Nietzsche on everything he said. I don't. I agree that this force exists. I agree that it works in every living thing. I need no other witness in this case except for myself. I see that there is something in my human flesh that wills for power, it might not manifest itself Napoleon-like or Hitler-like, but that is only due to my lack of resources. Alas I am limited to wanting to be right in an argument, wanting to be on a higher position than my fellow human being, wanting to have better-you-name-it than my peers, wanting to be first. I don't need to argue against Nietzsche's idea, I am a living proof that it exists. And I would have continued believing that there's no need to fight this will to power inside me, until I've heard a Rabbi saying, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles domineer over them, and those in high position exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave.” (Matt. 20:25-27)

Nietzsche couldn't recognize the strength in that statement. He believed that the highest will was will to power and one must follow it to its conclusion, but Jesus, Beloved Son of God, has come to break the power of that will in us. He came to set us free from it. Not by talking about a concept like Nietzsche did, but modeling it out for us by His own example. He didn't shout from heaven, 'hey, stop it, that's not the way!' But He took off His crown, He left all glory and took upon Himself a human form. With a word, nay, a thought He could have made us all submit to Him. He could have thought the Roman Empire out of existence, but then Nietzsche would have been right, that will to power is good. That will to power is the way. Instead, this humble King, the only true King broke the will to power in Himself and submitted to The Father until He reached the cross. He willingly allowed specs of dust to stretch His arms and nail them to the cross. He took the will to power and hid it inside Himself like one hides a nuclear bomb. We saw only weakness in His action when in fact He was planning to kill that will to power and the power it had over all of us. He detonated it inside Himself so it would never have to lead us or kill us. More than that, He defeated death on our behalf and rose from the dead. Nietzsche said somewhere that the last Christian died on the cross because he didn't believe we lived up to His example, but he was wrong. Maybe his philosophy would have matured into something deeper than childish delight with power. He was a weak man, despised, outcast and in love with the idea of power. He admired courage above all things, but never had to act on it. He was a timid soul unlike my King whom he despised. My King became a servant to subdue the will to power and loved until the very end so that we would chose to love instead of wanting power. Those who follow Him are known by that sign, they love like they have been loved. They take their will to power and nail it to a cross and wait until it dies within themselves. They don't deny the will to power exists, they just kill it wherever they find it in themselves. 

by Cristina Pop