Abuse of power leads to conflict

‘We swing our power like a club and the world bides its time until our ignorance strips us of our glory’. Stack Abuse of power refers to the unwarranted use of authority. A person or group of people who abuse power, unjustifiably use their authority to exploit or harm those under their care or influence, or allow exploitation and perhaps harm to occur through lack of action. These powers can range in form, social position, physical strength, knowledge, technology, weapons, wealth, or the trust that others have in them. It is evident from both history and in the current media, that people in places of power are often associated with misuse of their power. But does abuse of power lead to conflict? Or does conflict lead to abuse of power? One could say it goes both ways.

The most ghastly abuse of power is quite possibly neglect of children. The mother and or father are in a position where they should be giving their child or children everything they possibly can, but instead choose not to. They take only for themselves, and leave nothing for their offspring. Michelle Nguyen was charged with murdering her infant daughter, Thy, by leaving her in a car in outer Melbourne on a hot November day. It was said that she had repeatedly left the child in her car, sparking arguments with her own mother regarding the level of care she was exerting for Thy. Michelle was in a place of power, she was responsible for the well-being of her offspring, but yet she abused her power, leading initially to conflict with her mother and ultimately, the death of her little girl.

Quite often we see religious ministers misuse power for their own personal pleasure. In Australia there are over 100 cases where Catholic priests have been charged for sex offences against minors! The misuse of social position, physical strength and trust have been used on numerous occasion for the religious leaders to sexually satisfy themselves. The victimised children would feel uncomfortable and violated, if