Using power to get revenge. To silence critics. To punish opposition. These are some of the most damaging uses of power, and among the hardest to resist.

Why? Because retaliation feels righteous. It feels justified. And because it’s been modeled throughout history and into the present day, not as something admirable or ethical, but as routine, it’s met with a shrug, just part of the status quo.

Consider this

In 1825, a federal judge named James H. Peck presided over a land claims case in which he had a personal financial stake. One of the attorneys involved, Luke Lawless, publicly accused Peck of bias and questioned his integrity.

Peck’s response? He cited Lawless for contempt of court and had him thrown in jail, punishing him not for misconduct in the courtroom, but for daring to criticize him afterward in print.

The judge abused his position to settle a personal score, and in so doing, turned the bench into a weapon of retaliation.

Putting it into Play

Judge Peck’s actions at the time were extreme, but we’re seeing it again today. Because the instinct to use power for revenge is alarmingly common. 

Even if we don’t have the power of the bench, or government agencies behind us, we can still retaliate in subtler ways, weaponizing our influence to punish those whom we feel threatened by:  We gossip and smear people. We undermine or exclude. We troll people online. 

But the problem is that using power to get revenge doesn’t make you stronger, it makes you smaller. By obsessing over your opponents, you elevate them. You give them space in your mind and power over your focus. Instead of using power to create, build, or pursue your purpose, you’re letting your enemies define your path.

Revenge may feel powerful in the moment, but it’s a trap. Real power is aspirational. It engages others through aspiration not destruction. And the discipline of power requires not just knowing what to do, but what to resist.