In an acceptance speech he delivered in 1991 at a Copenhagen awards ceremony honoring his contributions to European civilization, Vaclav Havel — a poet and playwright who had risen from Soviet-era dissident to become president of what was then still known as Czechoslovakia — used the opportunity to hold forth on the temptations of political power.
Employing simple, easy-to-understand examples, Havel explained how it becomes inevitable — even for politicians with the purest of motives — to succumb to the temptations of privilege, perks and shortcuts.
While, he noted, some privileges he enjoyed as president made obvious sense — a chauffeured limousine, staff to do his shopping and cooking — they were also part of what easily became a slippery slope: “I myself wage a constant and rather unsuccessful struggle with the advantages I enjoy, and I would not dare say that I can always identify that moment clearly. You get used to things, and gradually, without being aware of it, you may lose your sense of judgement.”…