Avoiding the Taint of Power

Treating everyone equally means ignoring their differences, elevating the less skilful and suppressing those who excel. The use of honesty is indeed a power strategy intended to convince people of one's noble, good hearted, selfless character. It is a form of persuasion, even a subtle form of coercion. Those who claim to be non players may affect an air of naivete to protect them from the accusation that they are after power. And even genuine naivete is not free of the snares of power.