Power

The accumulation of power does not provide security. Instead it feeds anxieties--the wealthy have few friends and thus inflames the desire to accumulate more power, to exercise ever greater control over other individuals and events. As Reinhold Niebuhr wrote: “The will-to-power is thus an expression of insecurity even when it has achieved ends which, from the perspective of an ordinary mortal, would seem to guarantee complete security.”

I find this quality of human nature ironic; the more powerful you become, the more insecure you become. It's a vicious cycle: insecurity-->drive to obtain power-->fear of losing one's power/position-->more insecurity