Ah ok. I would've agreed with you not too long ago.

I've since become convinced that any concentration of power will attract exactly the type that should not wield it and therefore a society that wants to maximize things like freedom and minimize things like needless suffering should strive to build a society where power is not needed. I realize this would take time and could not come from violent revolution, but instead cultural change over a generation or two. In the meantime, democracy, imperfect as it is, with checks and balances can help keep things stable enough for cultural change to occur in this world.

What is power used for except to coerce people to do your bidding instead of their own? I want to clarify that capability for self-defense/community- defense I don't consider power.