On 5/15/07, Marc Riddell michaeldavid86@comcast.net wrote:
Folks,
I was thinking about the discussion of the Wikipedia Community and this 1917 Wilson quote came to my mind:
"The question upon which the whole future peace and policy of the world depends is this: Is the present war a struggle for a just and secure peace, or only for a new balance of power? If it be only a struggle for a new balance of power, who will guarantee, who can guarantee, the stable equilibrium of the new arrangement? Š There must be, not a balance of power, but a community of power; not organized rivalries, but an organized common peace."
Marc Riddell
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Right on target, this quote by Wilson, who by his very inflexible nature guaranteed precisely what he so loftily preached against. Human beings will always seek power--it seems so obvious that this is the least thing humans should get about other humans. Oh, and the monstrosity of the ego that thinks if only I had the power all would be well, it's only other humans who abuse their power (for me, this is true, although it's not true for every human on the planet). so long as I control the situation and the direction, all will function well. Power corrupts, admins have it, editors are peons compared to them, and once anyone has power there is no incentive for relenquishing it, other than more power, or the purchasing power to buy it. Admins as temporary is a good idea.
I also have to wonder about keeping something broken just because something else might break worse. It's not a fix.
KP