With great responsibility

The phrase “with great power comes great responsibility” is real talk.

But it implicitly assumes that a person’s original inheritance—or at least their starting point—is power.

The corollary, “with great responsibility comes great power,” is also real talk. This version assumes that our original inheritance is responsibility, not power.

And what’s the lesson?

That we must be cautious of power. That it may corrupt us. That though we may be entrusted with responsibility, we must wield the power that comes with it intentionally and justly.

Most of us don’t fall into power like Peter Parker did in Spider-Man. Most of us have to earn responsibility first. Most of us aren’t born superheroes. Most of us gain responsibility as we become the parent, the boss, or the PTA president—and the weight of the power thrust upon us is surprising, and perhaps even invisible at first.

Most of us, who aren’t superheroes, gain responsibility without having wielded much power. We underestimate how hard and tricky that power is, if we’re even fully aware that it exists at all. I certainly have, every time.

Both lessons on power and responsibility are equally important. We need to teach both. We need to learn both. But for most of us, who have no choice but to start with responsibility, we need to heed the lesson that with great responsibility comes great power first.