Freedom Limitation Essay, Research Paper

History has taught us that from the advent of time, man has proven

himself to be his own worst enemy. Throughout history, various controversies and

disputes have progressed into major wars with devastating effects. Some people

believe that these are the subsequent results of increasing power in man. To

many it may seem that the acquisition of varying degrees of power and influence

cause marked changes in otherwise placid personalities. The more power one has,

the more he wants and, what is worst, is that he is never satisfied. This

mentality, however, is not accelerated by power, but rather by an inner drive

which comes as a result of one?s limitations. Written in History are famous

examples where human limitations have led to major disputes. Such historical

events are easily remembered with the mention of names such as Napoleon

Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler. The progression of war was not caused by the direct

result of their power, but served only as a channel by which their aspirations

were achieved. Therefore, disputes and world conquests are not manifestations of

human power, but the inevitable results of human limitations. Along with power

comes a keener sense of security and self-confidence which, when threatened by

others or discontented factors, becomes the basis for disputes and world

conquests. This takes shape when an individual has reached his limitations as a

human being. An individual’s limitations can be regarded as his imperfections,

which is the bridge that separates man from the supreme being – God. These

limitations encompass the lack of ability to deal with moral, emotional, mental

and physical predicaments. These can be further categorized as insecurity,

poverty, fear, lust, greed, and lack of knowledge among other things. These are

the limitations that are present in a human being, and that actuates him or her

to abuse and misuse power. With the absence of these limitations there would be

no compulsive ordinance for any disputes and conquests, because an individuals

emotions and confidence would then be directed towards compromise. If an

individual is confined to accept reality as it is, then he will be led into

having an egocentric mentality, which will be transformed into disputes. There

are numerous examples to illustrate this assertion. Napoleon Bonaparte, being

the French military commander and emperor, was absorbed by a burning ambition

for conquest. This inner drive for conquest and popularity was engulfed in a

huddle of pride, greed, lust, and self-gratification, which served as the

unstoppable driving force of Napoleon?s conquest of the British states. This

instance clearly depicts that power was simply a succor to Napoleon?s success

and not the foundation of his conquests. Nevertheless, it was his limitations

? pride and an egocentric outlook of life ? that were the utmost figure for

his achievements. If it were not for his limitations as a human being, then he

would have had no motivation to use his powers in that manner. The unjust

operation of communism by Marx and Lenin, caused a major dispute among the

people and later led to their conquest. Communism was not achieved by mere

power. Its leaders were not simply born into that sophisticated position, but

rather reached that point by an egocentric drive to improve their lifestyles.

There was then a prerequisite before power was actually put into their hands;

this was their limitation as human beings to assent the conditions they were

participating in. These communists considered force, blackmail, murder and

deception as valid means to achieve their goal, which was to build a rigid class

system of their own. The party members would enjoy a more luxurious standard of

living than the people that were suppressed. In this case, human power cannot be

accredited for this disaster, but rather the limitations of these leaders to

accept the people for who they were and what they were worth. The communists

were limited to recognize that every individual was different, and that each

individual had the right to voice his or her opinion. These men, manipulated by

their human limitations, failed to see the love for others , thus, they directed

their selfish decisions into the mirror. Another example is cited in the

attempts of ?race purification? by Germany?s Adolf Hitler. Hitler had

unquestionable influence and authority over his people, but it was not a

manifestation of his power that caused the historical struggle that followed.

Hitler was a man who seemed to lack ethics and morality, but who had an

overwhelming lust for power and a vicious desire for revenge. He believed he was

infallible and always blamed others for his mistakes. After Hitler became

chancellor, he quickly banned all political parties except Nazis, and began a

violent and brutal crusade against Jews. Hitler proclaimed the Germans as the

?master race?, and this false doctrine of racial superiority fired intense

mass annihilation among the Jewish people. From a very early age, Hitler was

suctioned by numerous human limitations such as lust, revenge, frenzy, hatred,

pride, lack of ethics, and lack of morality. In return, it was these limitations

that spurted Hitler into the crudest mass destruction and slaughter by any one

man in history. Analytical observations show that power is not the prominent

factor that gives rise to disputes and world conquest, but rather it is one?s

imperfections or limitations that creates the atmosphere for such catastrophes.

This confinement, which is the ability to cope with the given predicaments, is

the real substance that stimulates such problems. Many nations are blessed with

increasing power, nevertheless, neither disputes nor world conquests arises

because power is an element that can be controlled and is beneficial for self

and others, without anyone being mistreated or disregarded. When strong

limitations to an individual is present, we then have a formula for abuse of

power which gives rise to world conquests and disputes. It would seem then, that

man?s egocentric ambitions an his inability to completely analyze a situation

beyond self, is the major cause for disputes and world conquests. There must be

a driving force, which is our human limitations, to act as a catalyst for the

use of power in such a manner as to cause disputes and world conquests.

Therefore, it is only fair to conclude that all or most of our problems can be

dated back to our human limitations.

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