“Show Me How to Live” is a song by the supergroup Audioslave, released in 2003. This piece tells the classic tale of Frankenstein’s monster. As with all poetry or song lyrics, interpretations are as varied as the minds reflecting upon them. In Frankenstein, after bringing the creature to life, Dr. Victor Frankenstein flees, abandoning the monster to confront human existence on its own. Think of a child: influenced by the behavior of their caretakers or even a passing stranger, they absorb and mirror what they observe. No child is born with the innate desire to accumulate wealth or a fear of unfamiliar faces—such concepts are shaped by societal influence.
In a world flooded by social media, do influencers bear a responsibility they barely acknowledge?
We may not possess the skill—or the audacity—to assemble a monster from human body parts, yet today’s influencers create impressions that shape minds with a single post. With influence comes responsibility, and when left unchecked, this influence can evolve into something dangerously misleading. Freedom of speech remains a vital principle, but when algorithms manipulate what is promoted or suppressed, this freedom becomes distorted. If fear, hate, and greed are the most “engaging” emotions online, what sort of content will inevitably dominate our feeds?
If social hierarchy persists, should those at the top not be the moral compass of our societies?
How often do we hear of corruption scandals involving governments, politicians, or corporate giants? These individuals still attract the media spotlight and, more often than not, enjoy a life of privilege. The public watches as those entrusted with power—meant to serve and represent—are caught in cycles of misconduct, without real consequence. Though this may sound like a caricature, one cannot ignore the recurring headlines of financial misconduct by leaders whose role should be one of service, not self-interest. Just as technology has transformed our way of living, society, too, cries out for transformation—especially at the top, where power games have long replaced purpose.
It is not power that corrupts—it is corruption that gains power.
The issue runs deeper than the idea that power changes people. Those who rise are often shaped by early influences that already bend their compass toward manipulation, dominance, and entitlement. The system does not merely elevate individuals; it rewards those molded by corrupted ideals from the beginning. We are left with generations of leaders whose actions mirror the same dysfunction they once observed—and then inherited.
What do you think? Can individuals truly rise above the systems that shaped them, or are we all, in some way, just products of the influences we were exposed to?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
#tales-posts
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