Do you want to be courageous and powerful? OR, do you want to be happy and at peace?

These are two questions I find myself asking quite a bit lately. Not that I want to be powerful, per se, but financially autonomous wouldn’t be bad.  In my quest for financial independence, I have had to take a lot of calculated risks in my life, few of which have brought me peace or happiness. According to the great philosopher, Epicurus, “You don’t develop courage by being happy in your relationships every day. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.” If Epicurus’s view is an accurate assessment, then I must be pretty courageous as I have been overcoming adversity since the day I was born. So maybe I am approaching this entire equation incorrectly. That said, achieving financial independence is my ultimate goal and the pursuit of that goal often brings into close proximity of powerful individuals.  

So how does power play into the notion of happiness. More importantly how does being close to those in power affect happiness? My favorite happiness author, Gretchen Rubin, tends to steer clear of the power question and focus more on the little things you can do in your life that will make you happy. After my recent investigations into power, happiness, and integrity, I think she is taking the correct approach.

If you have ever had the opportunity to read Robert Greene’s 48 Laws of Power, you might find some of his assertions to be a little removed from your own personal moral compass (http://www2.tech.purdue.edu/cgt/courses/cgt411/covey/48_laws_of_power.htm).  In fact, many of the laws he describes would be considered sociopathic behaviors. A few of which are specifically called out in recent academic works such as “Organizational sociopaths: rarely challenged, often promoted. Why?” written by Richard Pech and Bret Slade (http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1630654&show=pdf).  Here are some examples:

·         Law #3 conceal your intentions, a sociopathic behavior cited by Pech and Slade that can be combatted by transparency. 

·         Law #17 keep others in suspended terror: cultivate an air of unpredictability, do I need to cite an academic to point out that this is just plain wrong?

·         Law #8 make other people come to you; use bate if necessary, isn’t that just a tad bit manipulative?

·         Law #33 discover each man’s thumbscrew, doesn’t that sound just a little sadistic?

·         Law #14 pose as a friend, work as a spy, my personal favorite

So how can you be truly happy if you are doing so many nasty things unless you really have no moral compunctions or compass that would create cognitive dissonance for you? There has to be a better way. According to a recent article by Harvard professors Jal Mehta and Christopher Winship, morality and power is largely due to the perceptions of those observing the actions of powerful individuals. They cite the rhetoric of Obama and Bush in regards to Muslims and Islam as examples. Apparently they are remarkably similar. However, I am not talking about perceptions. I am talking about integrity and power. Not that the two are mutually exclusive, but I am questioning whether you can have power according to the traditional definitions – political power, corporate power, organizational power, financial power – and have moral integrity and happiness if you aren’t a sociopath.

According to Steven Lukes, author of Power:  A Radical View, 2005, power is “unavoidably value-dependent,” in other words “both its definition and any given use of it, once defined, are inextricably tied to a given set of (probably unacknowledged) value-assumptions which predetermine the range of its empirical application.” Does this mean that your values determine whether you employe certain aspects of power, such as laws #3 and #17 above?

Returning to my initial questions about finding happiness while overcoming adversity and living in the shadow of power, I offer up the following advice. Keep your happiness endeavors anchored in the moments of the day. Gretchen Ruben does, it seems, have it right. Keep yourself healthy by eating well and getting enough sleep and exercise. This will greatly enhance your ability to deal with stress and find the energy to pursue your happiness in spite of the adversity or shades of power you find yourself needing to deal with. Don’t let negative self-talk invade your thoughts. Remember Rene Descartes, “I think therefore I am.” Try to find something to be thankful for every day. Today I am thankful for the short little Latino man who told me I was beautiful and wished me a happy day in the dairy isle of the grocery store. Yesterday I was thankful for my Dad and that he is healthy enough to spend the day working on his fishing boat. Tomorrow I am sure I will find a good friend or happy moment to be thankful for. It is these small acknowledgements that help me to find happiness and even a little peace in the shadow of power and the face of uncertainty.