Kim Jong-il

There is growing speculation that Kim Jong-il, the absolute ruler of North Korea, is in grave health and possibly dying. While it is usually in poor taste to rejoice in another's passing, an exception should be made for this tyrant who has inflicted nothing but suffering on the citizens of his "socialist" nation. Thousands(likely more) have been shot, and millions have starved. His poor, starving, freezing nation stands in stark contrast to it's southern sibling, one of the world's leading economies. At least two lessons can be learned from his life.

The first is that power, once given to the state, is exceedingly difficult to wrest away from it. This is true regardless of whether that power is to tax, to strip citizens of civil rights for "security reasons", to spy on its citizens, to act outside the law, to go to war unilaterally, or to require a set of beliefs. This also applies regardless of the original intent of those that wield the power. 

Power is one of the most powerful drugs in the world, and as many drugs, it provides justifications for each compromise of morality it seeks. It's appetite is never-ending. Just as one cannot trust an addict to manage their own addiction, one cannot expect those in power to reign themselves in. Power, as with drugs, must only be given in the minimal amount needed, with a set ending point, and limits to its use. Exterior limits are critical to ensuring it is used as a tool and not a weapon. Excessive use of power cannot be justified on the grounds of ideological agreement.

The other lesson that can be drawn is the lengths that people, good or evil, will go to for self preservation. Kim Jong-il was willing to starve his own people to death in order to protect his position and life. He also gambled an enormous percentage of his countries resources that if he could develop a nuclear weapon, he would essentially ensure the US would not attack as it had threatened to. He was right. 

Hopefully, the world will never see another Kim Jong-il. However, they are not born. They may be psychopaths from birth or early childhood, but they will never become full blown monsters unless they are allowed to gain power, however it may happen.