“Power doesn’t corrupt people, people corrupt power.” 

William Gaddis, a novelist responsible for igniting the postmodernism literary movement, wrote this quote in reference to sociology and behavioral studies. In retrospect, this concept can be put to a degree of simplicity that has adapted to be an acceptable part of worldly interaction. However, when looked at through a lens of sincerity, power is seen with such distance it evolves into unnatural understanding. No reasonable person would deny the oppressions and corruptions that live comfortably hand in hand with power. Innately, power is connected to control over the public: celebrities, politicians, and the one percent. However, the subjectivity of power can be traced back to the subtle experiences that hold grasp on individualism. For instance, the manipulation that comes with understanding of another person’s admiration. It becomes a habit, a mind game, a critical judgment perpetuated internally when we take advantage of the power we have in a given situation. Vulnerability comes with the plea for acceptance. Whether culture, government, or patriarchy be put to blame,  emotion is shamed in the professional world. The substance being that when we recognize vulnerability we recognize foremost how our puppeteer tactics may be put to use. This can sometimes play into nurture, a friend comforting and advising through a crisis. Other times it is dangerous; a shark at the scent of blood. Either path is a path where abuse and corruption, intentional or not, are easy contenders. The intricate interplay between authority and responsibility underscores the need for vigilance to prevent the erosion of empathy, trust, and a profound awareness of transformative potential.