When Ego Corrupts. The Real Enemy of Freedom
Why staying silent and “clean” only feeds the rise of tyrants.
When Ego Becomes a Tyrant
Let’s be honest: everyone likes being praised. A compliment can uplift your spirit, make you feel recognized, and even push you to keep going. There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as it doesn’t inflate your ego to the point where you start believing you’re untouchable, above others, or worse, entitled to rule without accountability.
Power and ego are a toxic mix, and sadly, too many people fail the test. You see it in politics, business, activism, and even in so-called “freedom movements.” I’ve watched it happen too often: someone gets a bit of power, a title, followers, and a little funding, and suddenly, they morph into a mini-dictator, demanding loyalty, silencing dissent, and forgetting the cause that once inspired them.
Even worse, the ones most susceptible to this disease of ego are often those who’ve accomplished the least in their personal lives. Power gives them a mask, a throne they never earned, and they cling to it desperately. They justify their abuse with a noble-sounding excuse: “I’ve sacrificed everything for this cause.” But that sacrifice was voluntary. It was supposed to be for others, not for building their own little empire.
This betrayal is devastating, not just for the people directly affected by it, but for the whole movement. When a leader becomes corrupt, it taints the struggle itself. People stop believing. They grow disillusioned. What once looked like hope now reeks of hypocrisy, the same hypocrisy we see in the system we’re trying to change.
And politicians? Many start with good intentions. They were once respected in their communities, known for their honesty. But as soon as they touch real power, and the money that comes with it, they become puppets of economic elites. It doesn’t take long. And the public, betrayed again, throws up their hands and says, “Politics is dirty.” But they’re wrong. Politics isn’t dirty. Politicians are. And they’re dirty because we, the honest, principled people, refuse to get involved.
We have to stop running away from responsibility just because we don’t want to be “associated” with the corrupt. That’s exactly what corrupt leaders want: for good people to stay out of the way while they plunder everything. And that’s how we end up being ruled by the worst among us.
It’s time to step up. To take part in government, in activism, in community leadership, not as power-hungry egomaniacs, but as servants with values, backbone, and vision. Because if we don’t, they will.
And when honest people take leadership seriously, when we learn to handle praise without losing our principles, we become the only real threat to corruption. The only real hope for freedom.
As Plato warned us:
“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”
It’s time to stop letting them win.
