The Effects of Power on ResponsibilityPower and responsibility have a complex relationship that is linked by factors such as a person's morals and ethics, their personality and the conditions in which the person was raised. In a world where power can take many forms and in many places, the use and abuse of power is seen regularly. Power isn't just about being the CEO of a wealthy corporation or an elected political official, the CEO of Taco Bell has power, and so do the parents raising their children. These are the people who have the most influence on how power is used and whether it is used responsibly. In the United States there are five hundred and thirty-five members of Congress, a president and a vice president, while there are two hundred and ninety-eight million citizens. Elected officials represent a microscopic portion of the population, while citizens are those who raise children, teach children, own and operate businesses, and ultimately run the country. True power lies in the ordinary person and their use of power to influence those around them to have higher standards of responsibility and morality, because if responsibility is taught well and people have good morals, the use of power will not be abused. When a person is given power, they become more accountable to society, because this power should give them the ability to accomplish certain things that were previously beyond their reach. But that doesn't mean that their morality or their view of their responsibility to society has changed, it means that they now have the ability to accomplish things they could only have imagined before coming to power. . If Lance Armstrong hadn't been a world center... middle of paper... come on. The morality of those in power also has a very strong influence on how their power is used. A person in power and with good morals can achieve great things, like Lance Armstrong, or terrible things like Dick Cheney. When using power, one must keep in mind who it will affect and how it will affect them. Acting selflessly in the best interest of those around you is the best way to combine power and responsibility. Ultimately, power and responsibility will be why and when the world ends, so use power and responsibility in complementary ways, rather than trying to separate the two. Works Cited Hesse, Hermann. The glass bead game. New York: Picador, 1990. Boston Globe. March 15, 2007 “Indicted Marine Sergeant Says Haditha Killings Were Justified. » Washington Post. June 11, 2006. White, Josh “Marine says rules were followed.”