Most days, the news carries stories that, in some way or other, involve the abuse of power. In recent years it has included financial abuses committed by top executives of major companies and abuse of Iraq detainees by U.S. prison guards, but there's almost always some sort of power abuse in the news.

So here's a question for each of you: Do you think of yourself as a powerful person?

Before you answer, let me be clear that I am not necessarily talking about having power on the scale of corporate CEOs or prison guards, nor am I referring to physical strength, or anything related to athletic ability. Rather, I am talking about any ability you have to influence someone else to do your will.

When I define it like that, some of you will have no problem answering, "Yes." After all, if you ar…